DC Election 2026

An independent voter's guide to the October 17, 2026 local elections in Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe and the Peace River Regional District, B.C.

Frank Ripley

Candidate for Mayor of Pouce Coupe. All Pouce Coupe candidates

Frank Ripley

Photo: Rip's Cleats company website (cropped)

Running forMayor of Pouce Coupe
StatusFirst-time candidate; no previous candidacy found
OccupationCobbler; owner of Rip's Shoe Re-Nu and Rip's Cleats, Dawson Creek[1]
Place of residence (official)Dawson Creek[2]
Campaign pageNone found

Background

The Dawson Creek cobbler behind Rip's Shoe Re-Nu (since the 1970s) and Rip's Cleats ice cleats. The company says the cleats are made in Dawson Creek and sold through more than 300 dealers, and that he started cobbling at 15, trained at a ten-month cobbler school in Vancouver and has "been fixing boots from the Peace Region and beyond for over 50 years" (self-reported).[1] The Rotary Club of Dawson Creek named him Rotarian of the Year in 2016.[3]

His official place of residence is Dawson Creek.[2] B.C. law does not require candidates to live in the municipality they run in.[4] No Pouce Coupe property or business connection was found.

Electoral history

None found in Pouce Coupe or Dawson Creek.

Public record on civic issues

None found. His name does not appear in the Village minutes from 2020 to 2026.

2026 campaign and platform

Nothing beyond his nomination. Energeticcity.ca described him as "a businessman who owns Rip's Cleats in Dawson Creek,"[5] and The Broken Typewriter as "newcomer Frank Ripley, a businessman from Dawson Creek."[6] No platform, quote or campaign page was found.

What the record shows

Facts. A long-established Dawson Creek tradesman, manufacturer and Rotarian who lives in Dawson Creek, has never held office and has no public record on any Pouce Coupe issue.

Our reading (inference, not fact). In a race decided by five votes in 2022, a third candidate could change the outcome by splitting the vote. Why he is running is not on the record.

Questions worth asking. Why Pouce Coupe rather than Dawson Creek? What is his connection to the village? Where does he stand on taxes, the water supply agreement with Dawson Creek and North Winds?

Sources cited on this page

  1. Rip's Cleats, About Us (company site). ripscleats.com/about-us/
  2. Village of Pouce Coupe, Notice of Election by Voting, Notice No. 10-1 (Sept 23, 2026). poucecoupe.civicweb.net/document/52236/
  3. Dawson Creek Mirror, "Cobbler named Dawson Creek Rotarian of the Year" (2016, reposted on the Rip's Cleats site). ripscleats.com/cobbler-named-dawson-creek-rotarian-of-the-year/
  4. Village of Pouce Coupe, Notice of Nomination (Aug 2026, PDF). poucecoupe.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/vopc-2026-08-04-Notice-of-Nomi…
  5. Energeticcity.ca, Sept 12, 2026, "Local election begins in northeast B.C.". energeticcity.ca/2026/09/12/local-election-begins-in-northeast-b-c/
  6. The Broken Typewriter, Sept 15, 2026, "Election 2026: Challenges ahead for Peace Region incumbents". brokentypewriter.ca/p/election-2026-challenge-ahead-for
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