Mission – After a surprise move by Kenny Braich, when he removed his name from the 2026 Mayoral Race in Mission, Jag Gill is the new incoming Mayor via Acclimation.
(Municipal Elections across BC are October 17)
Jag Gill released A letter to the community: Eight years ago, Mission took a chance on me and elected me the youngest Councillor in our history.
Eight years later, I have the incredible honour of becoming the youngest Mayor in Mission’s history. That’s going to take a little while to sink in.
I’ll be honest, this isn’t how I expected the campaign to end.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been knocking on doors, sitting down for coffee, listening to people and talking about the plan I have for Mission.
I loved every minute of it.
I wanted an election. I wanted to keep knocking on doors, put my eight year record and my vision in front of this community, answer the hard questions and ask people for their vote.
On Friday, that campaign ended differently than I expected when I learned that I would become your next Mayor by acclamation.
The ending may have come unexpectedly, but the journey here didn’t happen by accident.
It was eight years of answering the phone, making tough votes, having disagreements, learning some hard lessons and, most importantly, listening to thousands of people across this community.
Those eight years changed me. They taught me that leadership isn’t about always having the last word or always being right. It’s about listening, being prepared, making the tough decisions and being willing to stand behind them and they gave me a very clear idea of the kind of Mayor I want to be and the kind of Mission I believe we can build together.
I believe culture starts at the top.
I believe City Hall needs clear direction, clear priorities and accountability for results.
I believe we need to get back to the basics and make sure people can actually see the value they’re getting for their tax dollars.
I believe we need to make every penny a prisoner and I believe we need to grow Mission’s economy and tax base so we can invest in the things our community needs without continually asking taxpayers for more.
That’s what I’ve been talking about at the doors and around coffee tables.
Now I have the responsibility to deliver on it, but I also know I can’t do it alone.
A Mayor can set the tone, provide direction and bring people together.
However, building the Mission we all want will take Council, City staff, our businesses, community organizations and, most importantly, the people who call this place home.
We won’t always agree and we don’t have to. We can disagree, respect one another, make decisions and then get back to work together.
That’s the culture I want to help build.
Just because the mayoral campaign is over doesn’t mean I’m going to stop showing up. I’ll keep knocking on doors. I’ll keep sitting down for coffee. I’ll keep answering my phone and I’ll keep listening to people who agree with me and people who don’t.
Because I wasn’t doing those things just to become Mayor.
That’s how I intend to be Mayor.
I was raised here. My family built their life here. This community helped make me who I am.
To now have the responsibility of leading it means more to me than I can properly put into words.
Going from Mission’s youngest Councillor to its youngest Mayor is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
But the title isn’t what matters.
What matters is what we do with it.
Eight years ago, Mission took a chance on a young guy who wanted to serve his community. I’ve spent every day since trying to be worthy of that chance.
Now you’ve trusted me with something even bigger.
I know what that trust means. I know the responsibility that comes with it.
There will be time to celebrate. Right now, there’s work to do.
Because becoming Mayor was never the goal.
Doing something with the opportunity is.
Thank you, Mission.
Jag Gill | Mayor Elect of Mission
