The Municipal Election will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17.
MyPeaceRegionNow reached out to incumbent mayors from across the Peace Region for their response to the following six questions:
- Can you provide a brief bio of yourself?
- What ultimately led you to decide to seek a second term as mayor?
- Looking back on your first term, what do you see as the biggest accomplishments, and what areas do you feel still need more work?
- What would you like to accomplish if re-elected?
- As you begin your campaign, what are you hearing from residents about what they want to see from the next city council and mayor?
- What advice would you share with the next generation of young politicians?
Lilia Hansen (Mayor of Fort St.John):
Raised in Fort St. John, Lilia Hansen built her career and raised her family. In addition to her duties as Mayor, she serves as a director on the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) board, North Peace Airport Society and Community Futures Peace Liard. She has been involved with the Sunrise Rotary Club since 2010 (serving as director and officer, and named Rotarian of the Year in 2012 and 2017) and supports the Fort St. John Public Library.
Danielle Veach (Mayor of the Village of Pouce Coupe):
Danielle Veach has lived in Pouce Coupe since 2008, where she and her husband chose to raise their children. She previously worked as an educational assistant at Pouce Coupe Elementary School and has been involved with the Pouce Coupe Public Library Board and Community Centre Committee. She first ran for council in a 2021 by-election and has remained active in the community through volunteering.
Darryl Krakowka (Mayor of Tumbler Ridge):
Darryl Krakowka moved to Tumbler Ridge in 2007 after purchasing the town’s only grocery store and also worked for B.C. Ambulance. He entered local politics in 2014, serving two terms as a councillor before becoming mayor in 2022.
Travous Quibell (Mayor of Hudson’s Hope):
Travous Quibell has lived in the community for nearly 43 years, having arrived as a young child. He first ran for council at age 19 after being encouraged by close friends, including two former teachers (one of whom was the mayor at the time). Though he didn’t know as much back then, he gave it a shot and ultimately served on council for roughly 24 years. When former Mayor Dave Heiberg stepped down, he decided to take the leap, stepped down from my council seat, ran in the August 2023 by-election and has served as Mayor for three years and three months.
Allen Courtoreille (Mayor of Chetwynd):
Allen Courtoreille has lived in Chetwynd since moving there with my parents from High Prairie, Alberta, in 1968. After retiring from 41 years at the Canfor sawmill, he wanted to give back to the community and initially planned to run for school trustee, but ended up submitting his nomination papers for mayor in 2018 instead.
2. What ultimately led you to decide to seek a second term as mayor?
Lilia Hansen
Fort St. John is my home. It is where I was raised, my children, and built my career. I lead with my heart first, believe in listening to residents and values responsible decision-making. Although the hours are long, I find serving others in this role to be deeply gratifying and purposeful.
Danielle Veach
In my first term as mayor, my focus was rebuilding relationships with local governments, Indigenous partners and neighbouring communities, while also improving infrastructure and strengthening our community. I’m proud that those relationships helped us secure more than $5 million in grants, including nearly $2 million to repair the lagoon after the 2017 flood and bring it up to ministry standards.
Darryl Krakowka
After discussing it with my children and ensuring my business had strong leadership in place, I decided to continue because he remains engaged and committed to learning. Continuity is important, it’s important to maintain the relationships I’ve built with neighbouring First Nations, Peace Region leaders and provincial ministries. I want to continue listening to residents and making sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely on community projects.
Travous Quibell
I feel there is still more work to do, especially after starting my term during a wildfire evacuation and a critical water treatment plant failure. Looking ahead, I want to build on the progress we’ve made while bringing greater transparency, stronger communication and more economic diversification to the community.
Allen Courtoreille
As a worker, I always tried to be in positions where I enjoyed my job, and I feel the same way about being mayor. Looking back at my first term, things were going well and moving forward positively, which made the decision to run for a second term easy.
3. Looking back on your first term, what do you see as the biggest accomplishments, and what areas do you feel still need more work?
Lilia Hansen
