No matter what happens, the council of Hudson’s Hope will look different after the Nov. 15 election.
That’s because not all of the councillors currently serving are running for re-election. Only four – Travous Quibell, Dave Heiberg, Nicole Gilliss and Kelly Miller – are seeking another term. The two others currently serving, Dan Bouillon and Richard Brown, are stepping down.
There has also been some new blood injected into the race. Scott Kyllo, Heather Middleton and Caroline Beam have also said that they are running for one of the six seats in the district on Saturday.
(Terry Turvey, another potential candidate, was on the list of people who announced they were running, but she has since dropped out.)
The Alaska Highway News sent questions out to all seven of the candidates, but so far only received answers from two of them: Middleton and Beam.
While there is not enough room in the print edition for their full answers to the 10 questions posed to them, their entire, unedited answers will be available to view online at www.alaskahighwaynews.ca.
Middleton said she “fell in love with Hudson’s Hope (and my future husband) when I came here to work with BC Hydro in 2009. Five years later, my husband and I now have a two-year old son with another child on the way, and are looking forward to raising our family in Hudson’s Hope.”
When asked why she was running, Beam said she “like(s) the way the municipality of Hudson’s Hope has been developing in recent years, and hope to be able to help keep that momentum going.”
When asked what she would like to be remembered for, Beam said her “main goal is to make our town more family-friendly for the current residents, and to draw more families to come and put down roots here.”
Asked about what she would like her legacy to be if selected to serve as a councillor, Middleton said she “would like people to remember that while I was a councillor, council listened to and respected the opinions and ideas brought forward by residents and addressed them in a timely manner. “
Another controversial project for the whole Peace Region – but especially Hudson’s Hope, which knows a thing or two about dams – is the proposed Site C hydroelectric dam. Mayor Gwen Johansson, who was recently acclaimed to her position for another four years, recently called on the province to send the Site C project to the B.C. Utilities Commission for review.
This led to one of the most striking differences between the two candidates in their responses.
When asked her opinion about the dam, and whether its impacts could be mitigated, Middleton said she felt “that Site C has potential benefits and impacts to Hudson’s Hope, and the details of the mitigation measures will continue to be developed to ensure they address the impacts. “
Beam had a much different opinion: “I would like to see the Site C project scrapped entirely,” she wrote. “There are so many more efficient ways to obtain electricity, and so many more beneficial ways to use the river valley, that the project does not make sense.”
Beam explained that the influx of oil and gas development has brought prosperity into the area, “but the community lost its focus on family for a time. In recent years, this focus has begun to improve, and I want to help with that.”
Meanwhile, in Middleton’s response, she said that it was important in the growth of oil and gas that “all impacted parties are engaged with in a meaningful manner.”
“Given my background in environmental policy, I believe that resource development can occur in a balanced and sustainable manner,” she said.
The election is Nov. 15.
reporter@ahnfsj.ca
