January: Lake Country Mayor Blair Ireland apologizes for profanity
Published 8:00 am Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Lake Country Mayor Blair Ireland apologized publicly on Jan. 21 for the comments he made during a council meeting a week earlier where he allegedly didn’t realize his mic was still on.
The comments included profanity, and were made after the council’s decision to allow short term rentals at the Zara at Lakestone condo project. The council video from Jan. 14 has been edited to remove Ireland’s comments.
“There is no excuse for my comments and I take full responsibility for saying what I did. I’m truly sorry for my lapse in personal judgment and allow those words to come out of my mouth” said Ireland.
He said his comments were not directed at anyone in particular, adding he was saddened that he caused anyone to feel disrespected in any way.
In response to the incident, the Mayor noted that he would better manage his personal frustrations to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
“I’ve taken some time to review the council code of conduct and ethics policy that I signed as a guiding document for this council and I will be renewing my focus on those issues,” he added.
It’s noted that the short-term rental issue at Zara at Lakestone has been controversial, with more than 100 people attending the public hearing that occurred in November 2024. Now, at the year’s end and 11 months there is still concern about B.C. short-term rentals and regulations.