NEWS: Water treatment plant
COMMUNITY: Tree replacement funds
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Race on for local mayor By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
ENGULFED In flames
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A van caught fire on the top of Six Mile Hill east of Topley at 12 p.m. Sept. 2. Sgt. Rose says it was totally engulfed in flames when police arrived, with a travel trailer detached nearby. The two occupants escaped uninjured and highway traffic was re-routed through the brake check station while the Topley firefighters extinguished the fire. The fire was caused by an engine malfunction, said Sgt. Rose.
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Shane Brienen is challenging Bill Holmberg for mayor in the upcoming municipal election in November. Brienen has been on council for three terms and says he is ready for a step up, “a new challenge.” His top priority for Houston is balancing the new budget and dealing with revenue cutbacks due to the closure of Houston Forest Products. “The biggest thing is how we go about those cuts… achieving those cuts while still keeping the community appealing for people to live in,” Brienen said, adding that it won’t be easy balancing out services with cutbacks. His other top priorities are 24 hour health care and fixing and repaving roads. Getting 24 hour
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The length of term for mayor and council is now four years.
health care has been an ongoing struggle since before he was on council, Brienen said. “I still feel that Houston is deserving of that... Being an industrial town, with people working through the night and people in the backcountry with the logging and mining, 24 hour health care is an important thing. And it’s hard to attract investment in your community when people know that you don’t have health care available at night.” See MAYOR on Page 2
Coastal GasLink pipeline workers based in Houston By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
Coastal Gaslink workers are in Houston working with members of the First Nations to gain knowledge about the local area. Shawn Howard, spokesperson for TransCanada, said
the project is about sharing culturally important knowledge between generations. “The program creates the opportunity for one generation to pass down to another the traditional and cultural knowledge specific to areas along our proposed pipeline
“We appreciate the support of the participating Hereditary Chiefs,”
route,” Howard said. “This knowledge is built up by First Nations through
- Shawn Howard, TransCanada spokesperson generations of living in close contact with nature. Examples include favourite
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hunting, fishing and trapping locales, traditionally used trails and travel ways.”
The program concluded last week and Howard says the study will inform Coastal GasLink for their project planning and detailed engineering design. “We appreciate the support of the participating Hereditary Chiefs in carrying out this
program on their lands, with their people… We have been working with all of the hereditary and band leadership along the proposed pipeline route and people have been notified of our work before we enter a particular area. We will continue to do so,” Howard said.
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