One of my favourite stories Mayor Al Raine ever shared with me was how when he was a young boy growing up in Vancouver, he would walk for miles and then catch the bus just to go skiing on Grouse Mountain. I was in awe of how this young person, with nothing but a fierce passion for the sport, went on to accomplish everything he did in his life. The journalist in me always wanted to know more of the story of how one person could have such an immense impact in Alpine sport, in B.C. tourism and in local government, all while building and supporting his own family with love and loyalty, who also have accomplished so much in their own rights.
These personal gems were few and far between, as most of our chats centered around community issues. Whenever I learned something new, I’d store it away, slowly working to build a more complete understanding. As a young business owner and journalist in the village, I learned so much from him and always looked forward to our interactions.
Despite the critical eye SPIN’s journalism turns on Sun Peaks’ institutions, Al was a strong supporter of our work and the paper. He understood the importance of having informed and engaged residents and owners, and how our stories helped to build the community’s foundation and living history. We didn’t always agree on every topic or how we handled every story, and I don’t think either of us would have been doing our jobs correctly if we did. But whenever he brought forward a criticism or concern it was always done with professionalism, respect and consideration. He always had time for a chat or interview, and generously shared his knowledge and perspectives on local issues and the complexities and history of our little mountain town. In a world where politicians increasingly seem to have adversarial relationships with the media, I greatly appreciated his understanding of our role and duty to the community.
While I appreciate the dozens of interviews he gave us over the decades, one of the last ones he did alongside his wife Nancy, letting our readers know about his terminal diagnosis, stands out. Together, they offered a level of vulnerability and candidness not often encountered in the face of communicating such incredibly difficult news, and then went on to navigate the next few months with admirable grace and dignity.
The fact that Al worked almost right up to his death surprised probably no one who knew him, as sending his mayoral resignation was one of his last acts. Always prepared and looking ahead, his steadfast commitment to this community and his sustained vision of what it could become is an incredibly rare example of what a true lifetime commitment to a passion looks like.
When I emceed the Firefighters Gala in November, I reached out to ask Al if he would be ok if we marked his upcoming retirement with a few words. I was keenly aware this might be one of the last large community events he would attend and I wanted us to have the opportunity to let him know what his decades of dedication meant to everyone. But always incredibly humble and also to the book, he declined, saying as he hadn’t retired yet it wouldn’t be appropriate. While I couldn’t help a bit of disappointment in his answer, I’d like to think he knew of our appreciation, and hope that many of us took the time to relay our gratitude in his remaining months for the impact he had.
We all have so much to thank him for, from our local health care and education facilities, to the chairlifts and world class tourism reputation we enjoy, and of course, for always doing his best to keep municipal taxes as low as possible! Several years ago, I remember seeing Al on one of the summer concert weekends, sitting on the grass, basking in the sun, listening to the music and seemingly extremely present, soaking in the energy from hundreds of people around enjoying the village and atmosphere. It felt like a rare moment to me, and I hope that wherever he is now, he’s similarly basking, seeing us continue to enjoy and benefit from the community he was so instrumental in creating.
This post was originally published on here
