Al Raine, only mayor of Sun Peaks, B.C., dead at the age of 83

Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality Mayor Al Raine is shown in a 2019 handout photo. Raine, the only mayor of Sun Peaks Resort Municipality and husband of champion skier Nancy Greene Raine, has died at the age of 83. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality, HO

Al Raine, the only mayor of Sun Peaks Resort Municipality and husband of champion skier Nancy Greene Raine, has died at the age of 83.

Raine issued a statement on Saturday, saying that as of midnight he would resign as Sun Peaks mayor, saying it wasn't something he wanted to do but his illness was growing more difficult.

His family announced on Sunday that Raine died surrounded by his wife and others.

Raine had ALS and says in his statement that the disease, combined with adult-onset asthma, made breathing more difficult every day.

His statement says ALS is a horrible disease and "the end is not pretty," and while he would have been upset to have been diagnosed at 38 years old, at 83, his best years are behind him.

The family's statement says a celebration of life is planned for Jan. 15 at Sun Peaks Centre.

Raine was elected as the mayor of Sun Peaks in 2010 after the area was designated as a resort municipality and he won repeated re-election.

His statement says it's been a "great privilege" to have been the mayor, and though he had hoped to see the employee-only rental building to completion, the construction was "a little too slow for his schedule."

"I have been lucky to have lived a full life with no regrets, with a supporting and wonderful wife, two healthy boys and a life full of adventures," his statement says.

Flags outside the Thompson-Nicola Regional District building will be flown at half-mast to mourn for Raine's passing.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District said in a statement on Monday that Raine, who had served for 14 years on the board, is not only remembered for his "exemplary work" as a community builder in Sun Peaks, but as a friend and mentor to many colleagues on the board.

"His positive contributions for his community have had a broad and lasting benefit to the entire Thompson-Nicola region," says the statement.

The district says Raine's leadership and vision helped create "what are now world-class" ski destinations in Whistler and Sun Peaks.

"His significant contributions to skiing in Canada and economic development of the sport have spanned more than a half-century," it says.

His wife, Nancy Greene Raine, was a top ski racer through the 1960s, winning numerous championships and taking gold and silver medals in the 1968 Grenoble Olympics.

Her online biography says she retired at 24 years old and married Raine, and together they promoted ski tourism in B.C., first at Whistler and then at Sun Peaks.

Raine signed off his statement by thanking the people of Sun Peaks for sharing his journey.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2024.