McLaughlin Acclaimed

Elections BC confirms former Mayor for the position of Councillor

Long-time resident and former Mayor Ron McLaughlin has been acclaimed to the position of Councillor for the Village of Lions Bay, according to Elections BC.

Nominations for the position of Councillor closed on Friday at 4 p.m. Earlier in the day, a special Village Update was released calling for nominees, and noting McLaughlin as the only existing candidate.

Today Elections BC released a document with McLaughlin's name as the only candidate.

In a statement to The Watershed, Elections BC Senior Communications Advisor Wesley McInnis confirmed that Lisa Zwarn, the local Chief Election Officer for the Lions Bay by-election "declared Ronald McLaughlin as the only candidate at the close of the nomination period on May 16, 2025."

He added that it is "up to the local jurisdiction to accept or reject candidate nomination applications in a local election."

This is the second by-election called in this term. Following the early resignation of former Councillor Norm Barmeier, Jaime Cunliffe was elected over Tanya Cosgrave after a hard-fought campaign in the spring of 2023. Councillor Marcus Reuter resigned his position last February, which initiated the current by-election.

The acclamation of a candidate means that the Village will not have to undertake the additional expense of another by-election, a cost estimated to be above $10,000.

McLaughlin has lived in Lions Bay for 46 years. He served as a two-time Councillor before becoming Mayor, and brings 11 years of experience to the table. In a statement today, McLaughlin said that most important lessons he learned during that time were that "collaboration, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and continuous community involvement are key to success in municipal government."

He says he is confident that he has the experience and knowledge to assist Council in "moving our community forward cohesively for the brief time left in the term."

The next regular meeting of Council will be held this evening, May 20, with the portion of the meeting open to the public beginning at 7 p.m.

Residents will return to the polls for the next municipal election in October, 2026.

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