FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. - Trevor Bolin has officially begun his first term as Fort St. John’s mayor after taking his oath of office during the inaugural meeting of city council.
Bolin said the new council was committed to “building Fort St. John better than ever from 2026 to 2030.”
Bolin succeeds outgoing Mayor Lilia Hansen after spending 18 years on city council.
Bolin won the October 17 municipal election with 2,934 votes, representing 65.3 per cent of the total ballots cast. Hansen finished with 1,521 votes.
Gord Klassen, Sarah MacDougall, Jim Lequiere and Tony Zabinsky retained their council seats. They are joined by newly elected councillors Lucas Wuthrich and Kevin Stigners.
During his inaugural remarks, Bolin acknowledged the demands of municipal government, including long hours, meetings and difficult decisions.
Bolin also emphasized the importance of transparency and communication as the new council moves forward.
“As long as we’re open, transparent and have the communication around the why we did it and what the outcome is, I think the sky’s the limit,” Bolin said.
During the campaign, Bolin said he wanted to look at reducing development cost charges for residential construction.
The new council also inherits a major recreation project following October’s referendum.
Fort St. John residents voted in favour of allowing the municipality to borrow up to $90 million for a new aquatic facility and indoor fieldhouse.
The proposed project would replace the aging North Peace Leisure Pool.