District of 100 Mile House Mayor Mitch Campsall and Councillor Spence Henderson will finish their one-year executive board terms when the North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA) holds it AGM in Quesnel, May 1-3.
Campsall was elected as president and Henderson was elected as director at large when the NCLGA convention was held in 100 Mile last spring.
Both say sitting on the board is important for this community because it gives them an opportunity to network with people in the north central reaches of the province – sharing common concerns and solutions – and it also allows them to promote 100 Mile House at the same time.
Campsall says his term went well, as he made a lot of connections with people in the North and got to see issues they are dealing with, which could eventually affect 100 Mile.
The NCLGA president notes Ridley Terminals, a coal and bulk commodity terminal owned by the federal government in Prince Rupert, was a big issue for the association this past year.
"The federal government wants to chop it. It’s the first time they made a profit and now they want to sell it. That got a lot of people’s dander up that’s for sure. It’s going to be an ongoing issue, but we’re dealing with it."
He adds being on the NCLGA board gives them the opportunity to meet with government ministers and gives them a chance to voice their concerns to cabinet.
Regarding the presidency resulting in extra work, Campsall says he was surprised at how much more work was involved. "But it opened a lot of doors and that’s good for our community."
Noting he got to talk to people involved in building the pipelines across the province, the mayor says he reminded them the pipe, equipment and other goods are going to be trucked up Highway 97 and through 100 Mile House.
Campsall adds he asked them what 100 Mile could provide them in the way of services that might want them to stop in this community.
"The question is how can we get a little piece of this action? How can we make it work?"
Campsall says there will be another meeting with the folks constructing the pipeline.
Henderson nominated
During the March 12 council meeting, Henderson was nominated by his fellow councillors to run as a director at large during NCLGA AGM in Quesnel.
Noting he has one-and-a-half-years of experience as a director at large under his belt, Henderson says getting elected won’t be as easy as it was last year when there were only four people going for three seats.
This year, he adds, there will be eight or nine people going for the three positions at the table.
As far as workload goes, the councillor says most of the work is done through e-mails, and of the four or five meetings they have during the year, one of them is the NCLGA convention and another is the Union British Columbia Municipalities AGM. Henderson says he would be going to them anyway.
"It’s really good to be connected with the other areas to find out what’s going on in their areas and what can work down here. You get a handle on what works for other people and what doesn’t work."
He adds it’s important to provide a united front for communities from 100 Mile House and north.
"Sometimes it’s hard for people in the Lower Mainland to understand there is anything north of Hope. It’s an ongoing struggle, so we like to provide a united front."
He points to the recent announcement about incentives being offered to doctors to relocate in northern communities.
Noting one of the openings is in Quesnel, Henderson says he hopes it will spin off into an opening for 100 Mile in the future.