A councillor for the tiny west coast village of Tahsis who was the subject of a court application says he is stepping down from council next month, part-way through his first term.
The Village of Tahsis filed a petition against Doug Elliott Dec. 1 in the Supreme Court of B.C., seeking an order to vacate his seat after he failed to attend several consecutive council meetings.
The petition, under B.C.’s Community Charter, also asked that Elliott be disqualified from holding office until the next general election.
Court documents said Elliott twice told council he planned to resign this fall but did not provide a written resignation letter, despite requests to do so.
In a statement on Monday, Elliott said his resignation would take effect Jan. 31.
In the meantime, he said he is “working with numerous individuals in my community to research the steps that are required to dissolve the status of the village and have the [Strathcona] Regional District take control before the existing council buries us in massive debt.”
Tahsis, west of Campbell River, is a former mill town that once had a population of about 2,500. The mill shut in 2001, and today the village’s population is close to 400.
Elliott said he decided to run for the five-member council last fall following a tax increase in 2022.
He said he was concerned about lack of services from the village and about the municipality’s “dwindling cash reserve since the mill closure.”
Two decades ago, the village had about $7 million in reserves but that amount had dropped to approximately $800,000 by November of last year, he said.
Since the mill closed, councils have not adopted financial plans that would replenish reserves, Elliott said.
“I campaigned on resolving this issue, promoting economic development on the mill site and restructuring the public works department.”
He said he also wants to see improved services and better infrastructure.
Differences with council led him to miss meetings, said Elliott, adding he has been overwhelmed by residents urging him to stay.
Tempers rose in March when the Elliott took the gavel from the deputy mayor, who banged it many times during a heated meeting. The mayor was absent that day and the deputy mayor chaired that meeting.
