Town Hall

Mayor and Council

 

Left to right: Councillor David Croal, Councillor Christi Thompson, Mayor Silas White, Councillor Annemarie De Andrade, Councillor Stafford Lumley (Location Photography, Vancouver, BC)

Town Council

The Town of Gibsons is governed by an elected Council comprised of a Mayor and four Councillors. Councillors are elected for four-year terms and each member represents the Town at large.

In British Columbia, the Community Charter and the Local Government Act give the elected Council the authority to establish policies to guide the growth, development and operation of the Town, set budgets and levy taxes to provide services. Council delegates administrative responsibility to the Chief Administrative Officer, who oversees the Town operations.

The Mayor is the head and chief executive officer of the municipality. In addition to the Mayor’s powers and duties as a member of Council, the Mayor has powers as set out in the Community Charter. These powers and duties include:

  • Seeing that the policies and bylaws for the improvement and good government of the municipality are carried out;
  • Communicating information to Council and recommending bylaws, resolutions, and measures that, in the Mayor’s opinion, may assist the peace, order and good government of the municipality in relation to the powers conferred on Council by any Act;
  • Establishing standing committees of Councillors for matters the Mayor considers would be better regulated and managed by means of committee and appointing members of Council to these committees;
  • Inspecting and directing the conduct of officers and employees, directing the management of municipal business and affairs;
  • Returning for reconsideration a bylaw, resolution or proceeding of Council;
  • Presiding at Council meetings;
  • Preserving order at Council meetings and deciding the points of order that may arise;

The primary functions of Municipal Council are to establish administrative policy, to adopt bylaws governing matters delegated to local government through the Community Charter and other Provincial statutes for the protection of the public, and to levy taxes for these purposes. Municipal Council is also empowered to manage, acquire and dispose of City assets.

Council is the governing body of The Town of Gibsons and the custodian of its powers, duties, and functions, both legislative and administrative. The Community Charter specifies that the purpose of local government (which is defined as being Council) includes:

  • Providing good government for its community
  • Providing works, services, facilities, and other things that the municipality considers necessary or desirable for all or part of its community
  • Providing stewardship of the public assets of its community
  • Fostering the current and future economic, social and environmental well being of its community.
  • In their role as Council, they collectively develop policies through the adoption of bylaws and passing of resolutions.

It is important to note that individual members of Council cannot make a decision on behalf of Council nor, individually, are they able to give direction to staff. To do either, they must give a collective direction as a group at a properly convened meeting.

Council may not grant special privileges or immunities to individuals or corporations unless the Community Charter specifically allows them to do so. Generally speaking, they cannot lend money to corporations, give away land, guarantee loans for business purposes, or give tax reductions.

Council holds two regular meetings each month, on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Meetings are open to the public and agendas are available at Town Hall and on the Town’s website.

The community of the Town of Gibsons is entitled to transparent, accountable, effective, efficient and respectful local government that focuses on making decisions in the community’s best interest and instills the public’s trust and confidence in its integrity. Members of Council must demonstrate their leadership through ethical behaviour, and must promote the principles of transparency, accountability and civility through their decisions, actions and behaviour.

Accordingly, on May 2, 2023. all members of Council signed an agreement to uphold the Code of Conduct adopted by the Town of Gibsons and conduct themselves by the following model of excellence. They agree to:

  • Recognize the diversity of backgrounds, interests and views in our community;
  •  Help create an atmosphere of open and responsive government;
  • Conduct public affairs with integrity, in a fair, honest and open manner;
  • Respect one another and the unique role and contribution each of us has in making the Town of Gibsons a better place to work and live;
  • Strive to keep the decision-making processes open, accessible, participatory, understandable, timely, just and fair;
  • Avoid and discourage conduct which is not in the best interests of the Town of Gibsons;
  • Treat all people with whom I come in contact in the way I wish to be treated.

2023-03-07 Council Code of Conduct

Contact Mayor & Council

There are two ways to correspond with Council:
Email: mayorandcouncil@gibsons.ca

or

Mail or deliver a letter to:
Town Hall
PO Box 340
474 South Fletcher Road
Gibsons, BC V0N 1V0

Note: In most instances, written and email correspondence addressed to Mayor and Council become publicly accessible documents once received by the Town. Correspondence from private individuals (not corporations or organizations, for example) will be redacted to protect privacy rights prior to releasing it to a member of the public.

Correspondence addressed to Mayor and Council is circulated to Mayor and Council once a week, in the week in which it is received. It is also forwarded to the appropriate division director (e.g. Director of Finance) either for consideration and response to the author or for information.