If the Village of Sayward misses a provincial deadline to approve its financial plan and tax-rate bylaws — as expected — it will be the first time a municipality has failed to do so since the Community Charter was enacted in 2004, the province says.
Under the charter, the bylaws must be adopted by May 15.
The mayor and two remaining councillors were set to hold a special meeting at 6:45 a.m. on Thursday to give fourth and final reading to the necessary bylaws, which are expected to be submitted to the province that day.
The village is hoping the province will allow it to present the bylaws a day late.
But there is no provision in legislation for an extension to the deadline, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs said in a statement to the Times Colonist Wednesday afternoon.
“Since the Community Charter was enacted (2004), all municipalities have met the deadline to adopt their financial plan and property tax rate bylaws,” it said.
The ministry said its staff are available to answer questions and provide support to the village, located between Campbell River and Port McNeill, with a population of about 350.
The original plan was for council to do third reading of the bylaws on Monday, then proceed to final reading on Wednesday in time to meet the deadline.
But Mayor Mark Baker left the Monday meeting before the financial matters were dealt with. He could not be reached for comment.
Instead, council met Tuesday to take the bylaws to third reading and set the special meeting for Thursday. A full-day gap is required before final reading.
The five-member council has lost two councillors in recent months.
Kohen Kilkin stepped down in March because of what he called the toxic atmosphere. Tom Tinsley resigned last week.
Tinsley would not comment when contacted by a reporter, but Keir Gervais, chief administrative officer of Sayward, said in a news release that Tinsley stepped down because “he has found the excessive number of council meetings with limited productivity over the last 18 months no longer allows him to maintain his health while meeting other obligations personally and professionally.”
Tinsley was elected in 2020 in a byelection and was re-elected in 2022.
That leaves the mayor and two councillors on council. Nominations for candidates will be opened in coming weeks, Gervais said.
A provincial advisor has been appointed to try to sort out Sayward council’s ongoing turmoil.
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