British ColumbiaThe Village of Sayward filed a legal petition with the B.C. Supreme Court on Oct. 14, asking them to reduce quorum — the minimum number of people required for a council meeting to make a decision — from three elected officials to two. Village wants to reduce quorum from 3 councillors to 2; rest of council already in legal disputesJustin McElroy · CBC News · Posted: Oct 18, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoThe Village of Sayward filed a legal petition with the B.C. Supreme Court seeking to reduce quorum from three elected officials to two. (Justin McElroy/CBC)Dysfunction in a small Vancouver Island municipality has escalated to the point where it is taking legal action so it can potentially take separate legal action against two of its councillors. The Village of Sayward filed a legal petition with the B.C. Supreme Court on Oct. 14 seeking to reduce quorum — the minimum number of people required for a council meeting to make a decision — from three elected officials to two. The legal filing from the Village of Sayward alleges that two councillors, Scott Burchett and Sue Poulsen, have been illegally leaking confidential information and collaborating with a former chief administrative officer of the village, John French, to criticize the ethics of Mayor Mark Baker and other senior staff on a local Facebook page.In the petition, Sayward says it wants to “proceed with consideration of a motion of censure and related sanctions” against Burchett and Poulsen, and “possibly commence court proceedings” against them. But because Baker is also suing French for defamation, only two of the five people on Sayward’s council aren’t in a conflict of interest over the series of lawsuits and investigations that has paralyzed its operations.On a five-person council, according to B.C. law, at least three people are needed to vote on any decision. The village is asking the B.C. Supreme Court to temporarily reduce that number to two, so council can vote and potentially take action against those councillors.“This is a step in the right direction to restore order, civility, and professionalism to the Village and, most importantly, to enable Village Council to carry out the work that the residents and electorate of the Village expect and deserve,” said the village in a statement issued by an outside communications team. The allegations laid out by the village against the councillors have not been proven in court, but have been posted in detail by the municipality on its website, along with affidavits by Baker and a former acting chief administrative officer.Through their communications team, the village has declined further requests for comment, as did Burchett, who has multiple complaints filed against the mayor with various authorities.WATCH | In 2024, CBC News investigated the troubles of Sayward:B.C. municipality to discuss whether it should keep existingThe small Vancouver Island town of Sayward has gone through more mayors and city managers than any other local government in B.C. in recent years. As Justin McElroy reports, it has sparked a conversation on whether they should continue being a municipality — or disincorporate and be overseen by a regional government.Big dysfunction; small financesIt’s the latest in a back and forth between the two sides that has steadily increased in allegations and potential legal bills for the village of about 350 people north of Campbell River. In the last six years there have been seven chief administrative officers and five mayors, both more than any other municipality in the province.Sayward’s financial assets are also the lowest of any municipality in B.C. — less than $2 million — making it heavily reliant on grant applications to higher levels of government to keep things afloat, and the town pool has been closed for months. In the months after CBC News first reported on Sayward’s troubles in 2024, multiple councillors quit, as did another chief administrative officer, while the disputes between Baker, Burchett and Poulsen continued unabated. In 2024, Sayward budgeted $20,000 for legal expenses — but instead spent $105,551 — and budgeted $90,000 for this year, according to the village’s financial documents. Much of those legal expenses stem from the claims of a family member of Burchett, who has made untested allegations against the mayor.How the village has dealt with the allegations has been predominantly handled in-camera — which means it is closed to the public — along with questions about the potential costs.The provincial government appointed an adviser to Sayward last year, with only some of their recommendations having been acted upon. “Since the last election,” reads the statement from Sayward’s legal petition, “Village Council has struggled to function effectively and has faced ongoing governance challenges.”ABOUT THE AUTHORJustin is the Municipal Affairs Reporter for CBC Vancouver, covering local political stories throughout British Columbia.
Village of Sayward taking legal action to get the ability to sue its own councillors
