What a disagreement about hockey says about the power of a BC mayor

Consider it two minutes for speaking one’s mind.

Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove found himself in his council’s metaphorical penalty box last week for being too candid with his thoughts on the future of junior hockey in his city.

After admitting in a radio interview that he would rather the Western Hockey League not return to his city, Popove quickly backtracked, issuing a press release saying “We are excited that the WHL has selected Chilliwack for expansion” and apologizing if his earlier comments had offended anyone.

It seemed Popove had quickly flip-flopped on Chilliwack’s junior hockey question, but it wasn’t entirely that simple. Instead, the episode provided a rare glimpse into behind-the-scenes decisions, the limitations on mayoral power in BC, and why some councils fall into acrimony while others seem impossibly harmonious

You can’t keep politics out of sports, even when it comes to Canadian junior hockey.

Two decades ago, in 2002, the City of Chilliwack contracted the Chiefs Development Group, the owner of the local junior hockey team, to build and operate its new 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena. Originally named Prospera Centre thanks to a now-lapsed sponsorship deal, the facility is now called the Chilliwack Coliseum. The arena has been the home of the British Columbia Hockey League’s Chilliwack Chiefs since 2011. The facility has two ice sheets and also hosts minor and adult hockey games, and various community events.

CDG has owned the arena since its construction, but last week the City of Chilliwack announced it was taking back ownership of the facility and would spend millions on various upgrades. CDG will operate the Coliseum for one more year before it returns to the city’s control in 2026. Days later, the Western Hockey League announced it was soliciting bids for a new junior hockey team in Chilliwack. It held a press conference on March 25 to celebrate its return to the city. The twin announcements were clearly connected: the city—at the behest of its council—had specifically taken control of the arena to facilitate the return of the WHL to Chilliwack.

But the history of junior hockey in Chilliwack makes such a move more emotionally fraught than it might be in other communities.

That recent history is very complicated—you can find an explainer at the bottom of this story. There are two key facts: the WHL is seen as bigger and better than the BCHL, and some Chilliwack hockey fans have pre-existing loyalties toward the Chilliwack Chiefs and harbour a lingering distaste for the WHL due to the departure of the Chilliwack Bruins, a team that played in the city between 2006 and 2011.

Popove didn’t attend the press conference announcing the return of the WHL last Tuesday. Two days later, he appeared on a weekly radio segment on JRFM and said he chose not to go. He said council had made a decision about whether to facilitate the return of the WHL and that he didn’t think it was “the right move.”

And although Popove didn’t bash the WHL—he described his feelings as being borne out of loyalty to the Chiefs, their staff, and their presence in the community—his words quickly got Popove into trouble.

Later that same day, the City of Chilliwack distributed a press release with a statement from Popove. The statement began: “I recently shared a personal opinion on our local radio station, and acknowledge that my comments may have been misinterpreted as the opinion of Council.”

It continued, saying with Popove writing that he didn’t mean to disrespect the WHL by not attending the press conference, and apologized if it had been taken in that manner.

Popove concluded the statement by writing that “Council made a decision that serves the best interest of our community. We are excited that the WHL has selected Chilliwack for expansion and look forward to taking the next steps together in order to welcome a new team to our incredible community.”

Popove, of course, hadn’t seemed excited just a few hours before issuing the statement. But then again, in his final statement, Popove wasn’t actually speaking for himself.

The mayoral megaphone

On its face, Popove’s pro-WHL written statement seemed to contradict his pro-BCHL stance from just a few hours earlier. Certainly, Popove’s council colleagues and the WHL might be fine if it was interpreted as a show of full support for the return of major junior hockey.

But that’s not quite what he said. When Popove wrote “We are excited that the WHL has selected Chilliwack for expansion,” he was performing one of the core duties of his job: he was speaking for council, not himself. That was underscored by the use of “we are” rather than “I am.”

Usually, a mayor’s opinion broadly aligns with the majority of council: after all, the same voters who elected a mayor elected the council. So when a mayor speaks for council, often he or she can speak from their own personal perspective.

But sometimes, there’s a clash between council and mayor. And that can thrust a mayor into an awkward position. Provincial law gives mayors certain responsibilities and abilities, but some of their duties are delegated through city policies that are approved by council. Usually those duties include the role as the city’s primary spokesperson in media interviews and public appearances. As spokesperson, the mayor is supposed to embody the collective voice of council.

That is relatively simple when a mayor agrees with a council decision, but much more complicated in the event of disagreement. It’s particularly awkward when the decisions are made in closed-doors meetings, in which the disagreement is not already obvious.

When a mayor is in the minority of council on a public vote and their opposition is a matter of public record, he or she can explain that “council has decided” to do something and let their past statements speak for themselves.

But Chilliwack council’s vote to sever its links to the Chilliwack Chiefs took place during an in-camera meeting from which the public was barred. That is not an unusual occurrence. Decisions about legal contracts—along with land and labour issues—typically take place behind closed doors for both privacy and financial reasons. (Some say too much business takes place in such “in camera” meetings in BC.) But not only does the public not know the full breadth of topics addressed during in-camera meetings, when in-camera issues do become public knowledge, they arrive as completed decisions. Even when the topic becomes public, there is no record of how individual councillors voted.

This situation can prompt confusion when, as was the case last week, a mayor must proclaim council’s support for an in-camera decision he or she opposed.

Usually disagreements are hammered out in private or set aside in the interest of getting on with city business. Prolonged conflicts are rare because most mayors realize that they need allies on council to get things done.

But whether mayor-council conflicts occur during in camera meetings or in full view of the public, there is always a risk of it disrupting a city’s ability to do business. When a mayor is dismissive of council’s power, or unable to subjugate their own opinions to that of council, they can end up having their mayoral microphone taken away.

That is what has happened in Kamloops, where the city’s mayor has been pitted against its council since the 2022 election. Last year, council voted to remove mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson as the city’s spokesperson after an advisor appointed by the province (former Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun) found the mayor was largely to blame for two years of council dysfunction.

The removal of Reid-Jackson as spokesperson was another illustration of where power lies in BC municipal politics. A mayor chairs council meetings, but has just one vote. If he or she has few or no allies, a mayor can’t do much. While their duty chairing meetings is dictated by provincial rules, many other powers—like that of city spokesperson—are the result of policies previously created by council. As a council grants certain responsibilities, it can also take them away.

Rarely, though, does it need to do so.

Popove’s statement last Thursday illustrated what normally happens when a mayor disagrees with his or her council: usually fences are mended—at least in public.

“Council is remarkable in that we can respectfully disagree with one another while remaining committed to the democratic process,” Popove wrote. “We are dedicated to serving the best interests of Chilliwack and moving forward together once a decision has been made.”

A mayor on the losing side of a vote typically has little benefit to gain from digging in their heels if they want to rally support for future priorities. But the statement also wasn’t out of character for Popove. Since he took the mayor’s seat in 2018, council clashes have been rare, and Popove has generally struck a positive tone both at public events and during meetings. That’s typical of most BC councils.

Still, the disagreement over the future of junior hockey in Chilliwack revealed policy differences that the public rarely sees—and potentially a sign of a future political split.

Because the vote on the future of the Chilliwack Coliseum occurred in a closed-door council meeting, there is no public record of whether Popove was a lone dissenter or had others unenthusiastic about the return of the WHL. In an email, a city spokesperson said votes on in-camera matters are subject to confidentiality rules set out in the provincial Community Charter.

Although Chilliwack’s council—like those in Mission and Abbotsford—usually votes unanimously to approve items in public, it’s impossible to know the frequency (and intensity) of disagreements behind closed doors.

Chilliwack’s council has largely seen its politicians moving in the same direction. But next fall could bring policy differences into the open.

Longtime Coun. Jason Lum has said his current term will be his last as councillor, but he hasn’t ruled out a run for the mayor’s chair. The four-term council has led the polls the last two elections, and many believe he may run for mayor next year.

Popove, meanwhile, hasn’t declared his intentions. Both politicians told The Current they haven’t made any decisions yet. By the time voters head to the polls in 2026, a new junior hockey team will be playing in Chilliwack and other topics will likely occupy the political discourse.

The next city mayor-spokesperson could be an enthusiastic backer of the new team—or not. But they’ll need to keep in mind the fact that their mayoral megaphone has an off/on switch controlled by their council colleagues—and opponents.