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By Dylana Kneeshaw

Al Raine Remembered

‘He’s left things in a really good place’: Sun Peaks council, TNRD board appreciating legacy of late Al Raine

Dec 17, 2024 | 5:04 PM

SUN PEAKS, B.C. — There’s a swell of grief within the Sun Peaks community this week, following the loss of longtime Mayor Al Raine. With his passing over the weekend, the local governments he worked with are taking time to reflect on the legacy he leaves behind.

Al Raine was the mayor of Sun Peaks for 14 years, and during that time he also held a seat on the board of the Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD). He and his wife, former Canadian Senator and Olympic skier, Nancy Greene Raine, have been heavily involved in the community since the early days of the resort’s formation into a municipality.

“He’s been a community builder for the last 40-plus years, between Whistler and here. I don’t think there’s anything at this point I can add other than to say I’m going to miss him. But in a sense, I kind of feel like he’s still here,” says Councillor Rob O’Toole, who adds that the past couple of days have seen a fair amount of tears and laughter among those who were close with Raine.

Raine passed after a battle with ALS. Earlier this year, he’d shared news of his diagnosis with the public and announced his intentions to continue working as long as he was able.

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The 83-year-old’s career took many directions, from national coaching, developing ski area policy, shaping resorts like Whistler and Sun Peaks, and eventually leading local governance in Sun Peaks when it became Canada’s first resort municipality in 2010.

“Since his diagnosis had become public, he took everything in stride. He worked. You know, everybody saw that he had resigned essentially the night before he had passed, but he was working all week. He was on email with staff, and messaging councillors and working on this, and working on that,” O’Toole explains, adding, “He’s left things in a really good place, because he’s imparted that wisdom and that sense of passion for community.”

O’Toole says each term under Raine’s leadership brought a new passion project to reality. A school was formed under his tenure, land was secured for a larger school to eventually be built and a new medical clinic was established. And in this most recent term, O’Toole says Raine was focused on completing the new Sun Peaks Centre, securing a plan for building new employee housing and improving relationships with neighbouring First Nations.

“I think what his legacy is, is his leadership and the number of people that he’s passed that on to,” adds O’Toole.

For now, O’Toole says the municipality will operate with its rotating deputy mayor schedule, until a date for a spring by-election is chosen.

“In the meantime, the rest of us will just continue doing what he wanted us to do.”

Meanwhile, at the TNRD building in downtown Kamloops, flags have been lowered to half-staff out of respect for Raine.

“He was very passionate about what he did. He knew his stuff and he was just a great leader,” says TNRD CAO Scott Hildebrand.

Raine’s 14 years on the board garnered a certain level of admiration from the TNRD for his thoughtful way of communicating.

“You just knew that he was doing things, and pressing for things that meant change for the better and you would always want to support him,” says Hildebrand. “He was certainly someone that I looked up to and will always look up to.”

On a personal level, Raine’s colleagues credit his approach to welcoming tourists and building the residential side of Sun Peaks with how the community’s culture is today.

“He always made — and Nancy, as well — both of them made people, whether they were coming here for the first time and maybe the only time for a two- or three-day weekend, or if it was a guest who came for a week, or two weeks or three weeks every year, year over year, they made those people feel special. And he made them feel almost like they were honourary citizens,” says O’Toole, who feels the area’s mindset around visitors is kinder as a result.

“I don’t see that changing. The importance now is the rest of us need to do what he did and pass that on. Because that’s what we hear from tourists, who even when they’re only here for a few days, will say this is such a special place. The skiing is great and the village is beautiful, and they’ll say, ‘But it’s not that. What makes it so special is the people.'”