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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2014
www.nanaimobulletin.com
PAGE 27
VOL. 26, NO. 42
Trio of candidates run for mayor’s chair in Lantzville I
BIGGEST RACE since municipality’s founding in 2003. BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM THE NEWS BULLETIN
GREG SAKAKI/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Pink at the park
Janet Mattis warms up with aerobics at Beban Park a few minutes before the start of Sunday’s CIBC Run for the Cure. The annual run/walk event, a fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, attracted 720 participants and raised $119,000 locally. To see more photos from the event, please visit www.nanaimobulletin.com/community.
Nanaimo sawmill slated for closure BY MELISSA FRYER THE NEWS BULLETIN
Western Forest Products has announced plans to close its sawmill on Nanaimo’s waterfront by the end of the year. Yesterday the company announced the decision to close the mill and move operations to its Duke Point sawmill as that plant nears completion on a $10-million modernization project. About 60 employees are affected by the move and will be offered employment at the
company’s other mills or severance under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement with United Steelworkers, said spokeswoman Amy Spencer. Lumber production is expected to increase not only at Duke Point but also at the company’s mill in Saltair. “The investments being made at Duke Point and the consolidation of our Nanaimo sawmill operations are expected to reduce costs, improve our flexibility to produce different grades of lum-
ber and increase our recovery factors from log to lumber,” said Don Demens, president and CEO, in a press release. In April, two men were killed and two others injured when a suspect opened fire at the Nanaimo sawmill. Kevin Addison, a former employee, was arrested and charged with the crime. Spencer said the shooting had no bearing on the decision to close the mill. “This is purely a business decision,” Spencer said. editor@nanaimobulletin.com
The civic election is heating up in the District of Lantzville with the largest-ever leadership race. The rural district is seeing a three-way fight for the mayor’s chair so far, with incumbent mayor Jack de Jong and threeterm councillor Joe Bratkowski announcing their candidacies last week. They join Colin Haime, a former mayor of Lantzville, who announced his bid in early September. It’s the largest civic leadership race Lantzville has seen since becoming a municipality in 2003. In 11 years and four elections, there has never been more than two contenders for the seat and twice the position was won by acclamation. Until 2011, there had also only ever been one person whose laid claim to the mayoral title. Haime, who kept his seat for three terms, lost to de Jong in 2011. This race gives people choice and brings a selection agendas to attention, according to Alexander Netherton, political studies professor at Vancouver Island University.
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“Going from no municipality to a municipality with acclamation twice and then three candidates – I’d smile,” he said, adding it’s a “healthy thing.” Haime was the first to hand in his nomination papers Friday. He says his bid is not about regaining his seat, but a continued interest in helping lead Lantzville forward. He believes the community will face challenges around implementing a water agreement, finance and development and needs leadership with knowledge and experience. Among his priorities are protecting the character and lifestyle of Lantzville, which he says includes putting existing residents first. He also wants to see reduced spending and a policy to require public consultation on decisions and the regular release of in camera minutes. Incumbent de Jong, a former director of operations and systems management for Bell Canada International, says he’d like to contribute more to the community if he can. Under his leadership, council signed a memorandum of understanding with the Foothills developer, addressed the issue of urban agriculture and inked a water agreement with the City of Nanaimo. See ‘RACE’ /4