Parksville mayor says he won't seek re-election

Doug O’Brien says he wanted to leave on his own terms before he burned out. Only city councillor Sean Wood has stepped forward to replace him, so far.

Parksville Mayor Doug O’Brien has announced he will not seek re-election at the end of his current term. O’Brien said he wanted to leave on his own terms before he burned out. Elected in 2022, O’Brien tackled a number of issues during his term, including affordable housing, dealing with the community’s unhoused population and municipal transparency.

He also oversaw projects like a new treatment centre, a pool expansion and a nature conservancy on the Englishman River. Within months of being elected, O’Brien faced his first significant challenge as mayor. A permit allowing unhoused residents to shelter in the VIP Motel was about to expire, and dozens of people would be evicted right before Christmas.

O’Brien contacted B.C. Housing to get the permit extended, which was successful. The residents were later re-housed in alternative housing. “All that I did is I pulled out a really big band-aid

and I fixed this particular wound at this particular time, which was doable,” said O’Brien, who moved to Parksville from Victoria three decades ago and also served a term as city councillor. “But I have to say that I’m still alarmed we don’t have a proper federal, provincial program setup to actually get these people the assistance they need.” One of his favourite memories as mayor is when the city installed a Mobi-mat at Parksville Bay Beach in July of 2024.

It’s a heavy plastic mat that rolls out to extend from the concrete walkway to the edge of the water and allows wheelchair and stroller access. That first day, there was a line-up of people waiting to use it. Many of them had never been swimming at the beach before, said O’Brien.

Watching the joy as they floated and played in the water for the first time was “an emotional moment,” he said. So far, the only candidate that has stepped forward to run for mayor is city councillor Sean Wood. Wood said he told O’Brien more than a year ago that he intended to run for mayor, so it wouldn’t be a “weird surprise.”

“He gave me a lot of opportunities. I appreciate him,” Wood said. Municipal elections are set for Oct. 17 in B.C.

The City of Parksville is hosting information sessions for anyone interested in running for office. The next session is on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Forum at the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre, 100 Jensen Ave. E.