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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2014
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www.houston-today.com
SLIDING Fun
Joey and Jaden sliding at Play Gym last Wednesday. Play Gym is a preschool program run by the Friendship Centre and open to all kids six and under. It runs every Monday and Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Houston Community Hall. Jackie Lieuwen/Houston Today
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Highway 16 new Class ‘A’ By Bill Phillips
With files from Lakes District News, Black Press
With a slew of fatal accidents on Hwy. 16 this winter and expected increased industrial traffic, the province is changing the highway’s designation. Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n Minister Todd Stone announced Tuesday morning that the highway, from Prince Rupert to the B.C./ Alberta border and Hwy. 97 north from Prince George, will be moved from a Class B designation to Class A, changing how snow removal and maintenance is conducted. “A Class A highway has more patrols,” Stone said during a press conference at the CN Intermodal facility in Prince George. “Patrols will take place every four hours as opposed to every eight hours. The maximum amount of snow accumulation that is permitted on the highway before it has to be removed is quite a
“ “Patrols every four hours instead of every eight.”
bit less … four centimetres, as opposed to six centimetres. There will be more snow removal, more plowing, there will also be more salt and sand applications. All tolled, it represents a heightened level of winter road maintenance.” It will also mean renegotiating contracts with the six highways maintenance contractors that are responsible for maintaining the stretches of highways. Stone expects the changes will cost the province between $2 million and $3 million per year. See ROAD on Page 3
Video project to showcase Houston business success By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
Houston business success stories are being showcased in a short video, funded, produced and posted by the Province in June or July, following a community branding
exercise. The B.C. Economic Development Community Video Project is about inspiring BC Communities with examples of strong local leadership, solid outcomes and lasting community benefits.
With the impending mill closures, both Houston and Quesnel were chosen for the project, to showcase “their respective strong community brands and economic d e v e l o p m e n t resilience,” said the government
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information release. “The videos will demonstrate how these communities have worked during this time of transition to develop the partnerships and business strategies needed to help strengthen and
diversify their local economies.” The success stories in the video will be told from the community point of view, featuring interviews with local community leaders, economic d e v e l o p m e n t personnel and other
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local stakeholders. The Ministry of Jobs, Tourist and Skills Training, which is running the project hopes that the videos will also inspire other B.C. communities who may face the same situation at some point.
Three other B.C. communities will also be selected for the video project via a nomination and selection process. When finished, the videos will be posted to the BC Government Youtube channel.
Smithers, BC 1-866-844-6723
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