Image: Willow Reichelt / SD33 Board of Education chair Willow Reichelt has released Heather Maahs's 16 years on the Chilliwack Board of Education, following Maahs's recent win in this year's provincial election. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Chilliwack School District

Chilliwack trustee bids farewell to former colleague on a positive note as by-election could cost $100K

Dec 9, 2024 | 9:14 AM

CHILLIWACK — Over the past roughly six years that they served concurrently, SD33 trustee Willow Reichelt and former trustee Heather Maahs didn’t always see eye to eye on the Chilliwack school board as ideological opposites on the political spectrum.

But now that Maahs has resigned her seat on the Chilliwack Board of Education due to her recent win in the Chilliwack North riding in this year’s provincial election, Reichelt has turned over a new leaf.

Reichelt released a statement last week on the SD33 website in which she acknowledged Maahs’s 16 years on the Chilliwack Board of Education.

“On behalf of the Board of Education for the Chilliwack School District, I’d like to acknowledge Heather Maahs’ many years of service as a trustee,” Reichelt said. “Trustees hold trusted and important roles in their communities as advocates for public education. Heather was a prominent voice around the board table and a vocal champion for reading and literacy. We wish Heather well as she continues to serve the community in her role as an MLA.”

SD33 Secretary-Treasurer Simone Sangster says SD33 has budgeted $100,000 to conduct a by-election to fill her seat. When former Chilliwack MLA Dan Coulter won his riding in the October 2020 provincial election, the by-election between Dr. Carin Bondar and Richard Procee cost approximately $135,000, significantly higher due to COVID-19 safety measures and the introduction of mail-in ballots. Unlike a typical election every four years where election costs are shared with the City of Chilliwack, Sangster wrote in a staff report that SD33 is responsible for 100 per cent of the costs for a by-election.

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SD33 says it has notified Chilliwack City Council within 30 days of a trustee vacancy. Chilliwack City Council is responsible for appointing a chief election officer within 30 days of receiving notice, who then establishes a general voting day on a Saturday no later than 80 days once they’ve been appointed. The City of Chilliwack anticipates that a by-election will be conducted in March. Timelines are currently being finalized and will be disseminated to the public once they are confirmed.