The new mayor in Lytton, B.C., a tiny village razed by a raging wildfire in 2021, has been determined by the drawing of lots after a tied election. The village says Jennifer Thoss is the winner in a process conducted in front of a judge, resulting in the defeat of incumbent Denise O’Connor. Both candidates received 45 votes in the Oct. 17 election and the random draw was conducted after a judicial recount at the Kamloops Provincial Court produced the same tally on Tuesday. A similar process determined the mayor of Peachland, B.C., in 2018. Thoss and O’Connor have expressed differing views on the village’s recovery from the wildfire that killed two people and destroyed most of Lytton’s structures, including its health centre, bank and municipal office. Thoss, who was elected as a councillor in Lytton in 2022, has criticized the handling of the recovery and rebuilding process with O’Connor at the helm. She told The Canadian Press last spring that more than $50 million in planned infrastructure funded largely by Ottawa would ultimately “bankrupt” the tiny village, where the shrunken tax base wouldn’t be able to sustain the operations costs. O’Connor, who was elected mayor in 2022, defended the process, saying over the summer that Lytton wasn’t a typical municipality as it recovered from the fire and still required the recovery staff. She said “dwelling on the negative” wouldn’t help Lytton rebuild and the village couldn’t attract new and returning residents if it lacked infrastructure and amenities. The non-profit CivicInfo BC says Lytton has 198 registered voters, while the 2021 census, conducted just before the fire, put the total population at 210. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2026. Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press
