Listen to the broadcast version of this story, which aired on Kootenay Morning on September 18, 2026:
With incumbent Castlegar mayor Maria McFaddin moving on to a new role in the forestry sector, there is an interesting race developing for the top office in Castlegar city council.
Three candidates are running for mayor, including two current city council members, Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff and Brian Bogle. The third candidate, Donald Pharand from Grand Forks, is aiming to raise awareness about potential flood risks associated with the Mica Dam and the Columbia River.
Heaton-Sherstobitoff has served on Castlegar city council for 15 years, and says she offers experienced accountable leadership that listens, brings people together, delivers results, and most importantly asks hard questions. She says that Castlegar is facing many challenges in the years ahead.
“Everybody wants affordability and taxes, so we need to keep costs manageable for all residents,” said Heaton-Sherstobitoff. “Infrastructure is the core to any community, so you need to maintain it and expand to keep up with growth. Housing and solutions to homelessness is a huge, huge line. And also those experiencing mental health and substance use struggles. But we all know one of the big, big things that is looming over all of Canada right now is the tariffs. And Castlegar is such a forestry town, that has me worried as well.”
Brian Bogle has been on city council since 2021. He says that because he has served as deputy mayor under McFaddin for the last three years, he’s ready to step into the top job. His focus is on infrastructure in a growing city.
“I would say our biggest issue right now is ensuring that we have adequate infrastructure growth for the population growth that we’re seeing in the city. And the new housing, which is another, pillar of what we’re trying to do,” said Bogle. “But we need to make sure our infrastructure is going to be able to support the new housing that are just being planned for the city.“
Taking a notably different approach, Pharand is focused on what he says are dangers associated with landslides near the Mica Dam on the Columbia River north of Revelstoke. The river flows through Castlegar, and the 81-year-old chose to run there partly because it’s closer to his home in Grand Forks.
“Ideally, I would have run in Revelstoke, but it’s too far away for the back and forth during the electoral process,” said Pharand.
“And the reason I’m running is that I want for the people who live in the Columbia Valley, on both sides of the border, to be well aware of the danger posed by the slides.”
“So basically, I’m well aware that BC Hydro has a very efficient reporting system. It’s not a question of dams not being safe. But we’re looking at three of the largest slides, active landslides, which I prefer to call ‘the collapsing mountains on the planet.’ And for instance, I’d like to talk about the Little Chief Slide, which is 3 kilometres [upstream from] the Mica Dam. And it’s 9 million metric tons. When you look at the slide that just happened in Nepal, it is much bigger than that.
“And the problem is not that that slide would come down, but that it would take out the Mica Dam. Mica Dam holds back 24.5 cubic kilometres of water when it’s full, the entire Kinbasket Lake. And the landslide itself is pointed directly to the dam…. The slide would automatically take out the dam and then we would have this massive, massive flood coming down the Columbia.”
It remains to be seen whether or not Pharand will be successful in raising people’s consciousness about the issue in Castlegar and beyond, but his presence in the mayoral race alongside councillors Heaton-Sherstobitoff and Bogle promises to bring a different facet to the campaign.
There’s a significant race on for Castlegar city council, as well, with nine councillors vying for six seats. General voting day is on Saturday, October 17.
