Following a censure from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), Sechelt Mayor John Henderson has resigned as Sechelt’s alternate director on the SCRD Board.
A Oct. 27 SCRD press release announced the censure of Henderson following an investigation into a workplace incident last spring, which took place during a break at a public board meeting.
District of Sechelt announced Henderson’s board resignation, effective immediately, in a Nov. 16 press release.
Henderson said that he regrets the incident, and that he believes this is where the matter should end.
“I have learned the SCRD is pursuing the District of Sechelt Council asking us to ban me from sitting on the SCRD board for the next three years, " said Henderson in the release, adding that it is “wrong for so many reasons.”
“It’s wrong in scale, it’s wrong in intent and it’s wrong in terms of the use of public funds, to name a few. I also think it is wrong for one government to try to tell another government what to do.”
He stated that it is wrong to expect Sechelt Council to make a decision with limited information that may distract them from fulfilling their regular duties.
Neither the SCRD nor Henderson have disclosed what was said or to whom it was said.
Henderson added that he hopes his resignation will allow the District of Sechelt and the SCRD to focus on “more important priorities.”
He thanked his friends and family for their support through a “challenging time” and said he would “continue to be vocal on matters of importance to Sechelt taxpayers.”
This is the first time the SCRD has issued a censure in its 56 years of operations.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
