A new law that bans holding a post as both an MLA and a local elected official is likely to remove Misty Van Popta from one of her two elected positions as of this Thursday.

The passed third reading in the B.C. Legislature on Tuesday, and is expected to receive royal assent and become law on Thursday, May 29.

The new law would ban elected MLAs from simultaneously serving as a mayor, councillor, or school trustee. It also says that, on the date the bill receives royal assent and becomes law, any serving MLAs holding one of those posts will be deemed to have resigned their municipal role.

Van Popta, the MLA for Langley-Walnut Grove, was elected in last fall's provincial election as a B.C. Conservative member.

The MLA fired back after the bill passed third reading Thursday.

"Bills 7, 14 and 15 have eroded support for the NDP and they clearly wanted a political win, no matter how petty," Van Popta said in a statement. "To get one, the NDP government made a mockery of democracy and legislative process. NDP Bill M-202 could cost Langley taxpayers up to $500,000, while simultaneously ignoring the democratic rights of those who voted for us to be represented as they saw fit."

She said her holding both positions was to prevent a costly byelection.

"I refuse to believe that in the year 2025, after 154 years of the ability to hold both positions, this NDP government suddenly found one that needed to be immediately rectified," Van Popta said. "I refuse to believe that my performance in either role has been affected. This was petty and intentional, and I am sad that our government has targeted our community in the name of political games."

When she won her seat, Van Popta was one of 13 local officials who ran successfully for provincial office across B.C.

However, Van Popta was the first to announce she would continue serving in both roles. Most other newly minted MLAs resigned their local seats. Abbotsford West MLA Korky Neufeld is on leave from his role as a school trustee.

She told the Langley Advance Times at the time that she was resigning her day job,

"I take my oath with the Township of Langley very seriously," she said in the wake of the October election.

Since then, Van Popta has appeared at most Langley Township council meetings remotely, from Victoria.

She said that she did not plan to run again for Township council when her term expired in 2026.

Her decision to hold two public office was not without controversy. A group of Langley residents lasking that she be removed from her council role, alleging that holding the two posts amounted to a conflict of interest, which Van Popta denied in court filings.

An NDP party press release also pointed out that she has been absent from the start of several recent afternoon council meetings, which overlap with Question Period in the provincial Legislature.

However, until now there was no law preventing someone from holding both posts at once, and a few legislators have done so over the years. Current NDP federal MP Jenny Kwan held a role as an MLA and Vancouver councillor for six months in the 1990s, until her council term ended.

The new law was put forward by Esquimalt-Colwood NDP MLA Darlene Rotchford as a private member's bill.

"If you鈥檙e serious about this being a full-time job and you鈥檙e serious about helping British Columbians, MLAs should be focused on their work in the legislature, not splitting their time and focus while collecting two taxpayer-funded salaries," Rotchford said in a statement released after the bill passed third reading. "This bill is about people in every community across B.C. getting what they deserve: an MLA working full time to represent them."

The act will remove Van Popta from municipal office, and under provincial law will likely trigger a byelection.

According to the Community Charter, which governs municipalities in B.C., a byelection must be held if there is a vacancy on a council. There are exceptions, but the main exception is that a byelection is not required if the vacancy happens after Jan. 1 in the year of a municipal election. The next municipal election is to be held in October of 2026.

Township Mayor Eric Woodward said if the province is mandating a vacancy, they can pay for the byelection.

"Currently, a byelection is not included in the 2025 budget," he said.

It will cost the Township approximately $400,000 to $500,000 to hold a byelection, including renting voting machines and staffing polling places and advance polls, Woodward said.

Van Popta was in a committee debate in Victoria and was not immediately available for comment.

She was elected to her Township council role in 2022 as part of Woodward's Contract With Langley slate, which holds a majority on the council.