Longtime Kaslo councillor Rob Lang dies after nearly 15 years in office
Kaslo councillor Rob Lang served on village council from 2011 until his death in August 2026.
Photo credit: Village of Kaslo
Longtime Kaslo councillor Rob Lang has died after nearly 15 years of service on village council.
The Village of Kaslo announced his death this week, thanking Lang for his years of dedication to the community.
Lang was first elected to Kaslo council in 2011 and went on to win three more consecutive terms, in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He remained a councillor at the time of his death.
Over those years, his work extended well beyond regular council meetings. Following the 2022 municipal election, Kaslo appointed Lang as its alternate director on the Regional District of Central Kootenay board, where Mayor Suzan Hewat represented the Village as director.
He also represented Kaslo on the Kaslo and Area D Economic Development Commission, working alongside representatives from the surrounding rural area on economic development issues. In 2024, Lang and Rick Nay were appointed as Kaslo’s representatives for terms scheduled to continue through Dec. 31, 2026.
Lang was involved in regional municipal advocacy as well. He was elected by acclamation to a two-year director-at-large term with the Association of Kootenay and Boundary Local Governments in 2020, and AKBLG records list him as a director the following year.
Closer to home, Lang took on committee work tied to Kaslo’s infrastructure and municipal assets. In April 2023, he was elected by acclamation as chair of the Village’s Asset Management Committee, while council appointment records also list him as a member of the Liquid Waste Monitoring Committee.
His place on council was reflected in Kaslo’s 2024 annual report, where Hewat wrote that she and councillors Erika Bird, Matthew Brown, Rob Lang and Molly Leathwood were “very proud to serve our community.”
Lang’s death leaves a vacancy on council as Kaslo prepares for British Columbia’s 2026 general local elections.
Nominations for the Oct. 17 election open Sept. 1 and close Sept. 11. Kaslo voters will elect a mayor and four councillors.
Because the vacancy occurred after June 1 in a general election year, B.C.’s Local Government Act allows Kaslo council to decide not to hold a separate by-election and instead leave the seat to be filled in October. The Village has not yet announced such a decision.
In announcing Lang’s death, the Village thanked him for his service and recognized the years he spent representing Kaslo.
The discussion around the recent wildfire-related off-road vehicle restrictions got me thinking about more than one temporary ban. It also brought out a lot of strong opinions about e-bikes, trail users and who belongs on our local trails.