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Gazette NORTH ISLAND
Publications Mail Agreement No. 391275
49th Year No. 47
November 20, 2014
• Winter’s Best
Sointula’s Winter Festival draws crowd to Malcolm Island. Page 9
• All’s Wellness
Practitioners share options at Port Hardy Wellness Fair. Page 11 Opinion Page 6 Hamper Application Page 7 Classifieds Page 12-13 Sports Page 14
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North Island votes status quo Gazette staff North Islanders turned out at polling places throughout the region Saturday and sent a consistent message: Experience counts. Former mayor Hank Bood was reinstated into the job in the District of Port Hardy, while Shirley Ackland, a two-term councillor in Port McNeill, was selected to succeed the country’s longest currently-serving mayor in Port McNeill. With just a few exceptions, incumbents and former elected officials making comebacks fared well throughout municipal, school board and regional district elections across the North Island. Results from across the province were posted online by Civic Info BC throughout Saturday night, though not all jurisdictions were available as of midnight. Neither the District of Port Hardy nor the Town of Port McNeill, both of which featured contested positions for mayor and council, had posted results until early Sunday. In the District of Port Hardy, Bood, who served as Mayor until 2008, reclaimed the job over Janet Dorward, who has served on council since being elected in 2011. Meanwhile, the top two votegetters in a field of 13 council candidates were newcomers Dennis
Barry Foster casts his ballot in the municipal election at the Port McNeill Town Office Saturday, J.R. Rardon Nov. 15. The Town of Port McNeill fea- aside for professional development Dugas and Pat Corbett-Labatt. But they will join a trio of incumbents tured a unique scenario in which all reasons. They are joined by first-time on the six-member council — John four members of the outgoing councandidates Jay Dixon, the princil were to be replaced. But two of Tidbury, Rick Marcotte and Jesse Hemphill — along with fellow first- those spots went to former council- cipal of North Island Secondary lors Shelley Downey and Aaron School and the top vote-getter, time councillor Fred Robertson. Each will serve a four-year term, Frost, who both served through and Graham MacDonald, a small the result of provincial legislation 2011. Downey ran for mayor that businessman and promoter of that increases the length of terms year and failed to unseat Gerry for municipal office from the three- Furney, who went on to complete year terms that had been in place 39 years on the job before retiring See page 5 this fall; while Frost had stepped for decades.
‘One vote’
Port Hardy loses another leader Gazette staff PORT HARDY—Deputy Mayor Debbie Huddlestan was found dead in her home early Sunday morning, just hours after the close of municipal elections that were to usher in her retire-
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ment from elected politics. In addition to her civic duties, Huddlestan was an active and passionate volunteer who donated her time to organize a variety of activities and benefits, including Filomi Days and
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the Gazette Hamper Fund. Huddlestan joined Port Hardy Council by acclimation in a by-election to replace her husband, Al Huddlestan, who died in March 2013 following a battle with cancer.
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She assumed deputy mayor duties as part of a rotation of council members following the death in May of 2014 of former mayor and close personal friend Bev Parnham. A Celebration of Life
for Huddlestan has been announced by her family for this Sunday, Nov. 23, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Civic Centre. Donations can be made to a memorial bench for Debbie and Al Huddlestan.
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