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Long road to election begins Vote set for Oct. 19 Jessica Peters The Progress
Continued: ELECTION/ p3
A fire that broke out Saturday on the west side of Harrison Lake continues to grow, despite aggressive efforts to contain the blaze. Campers were evacuated from the area as firefighters on the ground and from the air battled the fire. For video of their efforts, go online to www.theprogress.com. BC WILDFIRE SERVICE PHOTO
Fire forces campground evacuations A fire north of Harrison Hot Springs continued to burn aggressively Tuesday. Strong winds on Monday and overnight have helped dramatically expanded the size of the wildfire, burning in a popular recreation area near Wood Lake. The fire is now estimated at 600 hectares. Fire officials say the blaze may be even larger; thick smoke is making it difficult to determine the exact perimeter of the fire. The massive Martin Mars water bomber was called in on
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Sunday to help fight the fire on the west side of Harrison Lake. The Mars water bomber, which can drop more than 27,000 litres of water in one pass, joined several smaller tanker planes in battling fire. As of Tuesday, more than 135 firefighters were on the ground, while nine helicopters attacked from the air. Campers were evacuated from 10-Mile Bay and Wood Lake on Sunday. And while 20-Mile Bay was not directly threatened, campers were escorted out of
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the area too as a precaution. service said. According to the BC Wildfire There’s no word on the actual Service, no homes or structures number of campers evacuated. are at risk from the fire. The fire The fire is believed to be is currently spreading northward human-caused. Said spokesaway from the comperson Donna munity of Harrison MacPherson: “This Hot Springs. video-online] fire was completely “Wind in the area preventable. Right has fanned this aggressively burn- www.theprogress.com now we don’t need any more humaning ground fire. The wind is blowing caused fires.” sparks and embers ahead of the Watch www.theprogress. fire, and the fire’s activity is chal- com for more information as it lenging the air tanker work,” the becomes available.
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While the signs of an upcoming election have been apparent for weeks, the federal election campaign season officially began on Sunday. Voters now have until Oct. 19 to decide on a worthy candidate, and in Chilliwack-Hope, that means consideration of at least a few new faces. So far, five parties have announced candidates in this riding, including incumbent Conservative Mark Strahl. Challenging his seat in parliament are Seonaigh MacPherson for the NDP, Louie De Jaeger for the Liberal party, Thomas Cheney for the Green Party, and Alexander Johnson for the Libertarians. Strahl won over the majority of the voters in 2011, earning 57 per cent of their ballots. His win followed a three-term run by his father, Chuck Strahl, also a Conservative. Over the past four elections, the NDP have been the biggest threat to the long-standing Conservative seat. In 2011, the NDP took a quarter of the votes, with then-candidate Gwen O’Mahoney. This time around, MacPherson has been campaigning since December, going door to door in both Chilliwack and Hope. “I’ve heard the calls for change grow louder,” she said in a press release sent out this week. “Families are working harder than ever, but they can’t get ahead. Many say we’re in another recession. Clearly, Stephen Harper’s plan isn’t working.” The Liberals also earn a fair share of the votes in this riding, with anywhere from eight to 16 per cent over the past four elections. Liberal candidate De Jaeger had