The Town of Hinton held its all-candidates forum at council chambers on Sept. 30, ahead of the Oct. 18 election. 

Candidates for council had opening arguments and answered three questions from the public that touched on seniors’ and youth issues and post-secondary education.

Rick Grinnell:

Rick Grinnell, who is seeking his first term on council, has been in Hinton for three years and says he would like to see more interaction between council and the community. 

“I believe in change,” he said. 

Grinnell believes the community can benefit from time spent with seniors, and doing so will help the town understand what can be done to improve their life in the community.

“I think, first off, we should spend more time with them,” he said. “Let them teach us what’s right and what’s wrong.”

On the possibility of post-secondary education in Hinton, Grinnell said the construction and maintenance of a post-secondary building in Hinton would create long-term jobs and lessen the burden put on parents to send their children out of town for higher education. He suggested the courses that could come to Hinton should compliment the industries already in the town. 

Grinnell said youth need to have access to the wide range of great activities already offered in Hinton, and suggested making these opportunities more affordable. 

“I want to learn,” Grinnell said in his closing remarks. “We have to inform people more.”

Jane Macridis – incumbent:

Jane Macridis is seeking re-election for her second term. She said she has attended every council meeting in her entire three-year term. 

“I’m hard working and have the time to serve the people of Hinton fully and completely,” she said. “I will work to build a strong and inclusive community.”

Macridis said housing and long-term health care are important to seniors, but listening to their concerns is paramount. 

“I do believe we need to be talking to seniors and those approaching senior [age],” she said. 

If Hinton were to have a post-secondary education facility, Macridis believes it could spur more young people to come to the town. 

“Youth attract youth,” she said. “It is more than time for Hinton to move forward and continue its plans for post-secondary education.”

Macridis said complaints of “nothing to do” have arisen around the loss of Hinton’s movie theatre. She said making youth aware of other activities in town will help keep them active. 

“I think we have a lot of opportunity.”

In her closing remarks, Macridis touched on her three years of experience as a councillor. 

“Working together with so many people has been my greatest reward as a town councillor,” she said. 

Dale Currie:

Dale Currie is seeking his first term as councillor, and said listening is the most important part of the job. 

“I will make time and do my best to hear what you are saying,” he told the gathered public. “We must listen to everyone.”

Currie has been an involved member of the Hinton community for 23 years. He said a post-secondary institution will encourage Hinton’s reputation as a hub for surrounding communities. 

“Post secondary education is very important to Hinton.”

Ian Duncan – incumbent:

Ian Duncan has been on Hinton Town Council for the past six years. He thanked the crowd for their support over his two terms. 

“I would like to thank you for such an honour,” Duncan said. 

To address seniors’ issues, Duncan said it’s important that the elderly are able to use the town’s transit system to increase their mobility. Duncan agreed that post-secondary education is an important next step for Hinton, as it would bring more people into the area. 

“We need people to generate our economy,” he said.

Janice Callihoo:

Janice Callihoo is seeking her first term on council. 

She returned to Hinton in 2007, and was happy to see the town thriving. She joined the Hinton Chamber of Commerce and has been a business person, while promoting local business and attracting new ones to town. 

“As a citizen of Hinton we have a lot to be proud of,” she said. 

A new theatre venue is one of the initiatives Callihoo said is important to her, to improve local entertainment. 

“We want to encourage groups to come to Hinton,” she said. 

For seniors, Callihoo proposes improving resources already available, such as Meals on Wheels, and looking into more housing.

“I think we need to have more housing available,” she said. “They are a very valuable part of our area.”

Callihoo supports a post-secondary institution in Hinton to help alleviate costs put on parents to send their kids out of town. 

“I think the cost of going is just atrocious,” she said.

Addressing a lack of activities for youth in Hinton, Callihoo said creating more programs for younger people would be something she would look into. 

Stephen Mitchell – incumbent:

Stephen Mitchell is hoping to earn his second term on council. He reflected on the past three years at the forum. 

“I’m proud of my first term on council,” he said.

He discussed Hinton’s image as an industry town, but stressed there is much more to the community. 

“Hinton is no longer just an industry town,” he said. 

To help seniors, Mitchell believes keeping them in their homes with assisted living programs is ideal. 

If a post-secondary school arrived in Hinton, Mitchell said more youth might stay instead of heading out of town to gain the skills they need. 

“It would be nice to keep some of our youth here for a while,” he said. 

Bill Bulger – incumbent:

Bill Bulger has served on Hinton Town Council for the past three years, and is looking to earn his second term in October’s election. He has been in Hinton for a total of 32 years, and has recognized the community’s ability to come together and get things done. 

“There’s power in these people,” he said. 

Bulger said Hinton is a town that is changing, and he hopes to look at more programs and housing for the disabled. 

Working with facilities that are already in Hinton to help seniors is how Bulger said he would address their issues. 

“Needs are changing drastically,” he said. 

As for post-secondary education, Bulger said students often leave Hinton and do not come back once they have received their education. Having a place for students to attend school in Hinton would encourage those students to stay in town once they are finished. 

“I think it’s crucial,” he said. 

Buzz Johnson – incumbent:

If elected, Buzz Johnson will start his second term on council. He is retired and has been in Hinton for the past 35 years.

“This council is awesome,” Johnson said. “I love this town. I’m very proud of (it).”

He outlined what he hopes to work on in his second term: more affordable housing, after the highly successful Happy Creek Affordable Housing complex; post-secondary education and long term care for seniors.

Johnson, who says he is approaching becoming a senior himself, said more facilities like the Pine Valley Lodge are important to the elderly community. 

“I want to be able to keep our seniors safe in our community,” he said. 

On the issue of post-secondary education, Johnson said Hinton is uniquely placed to provide education to surrounding areas. 

“We’re central to this region. We’re ideally suited geographically for that,” he said.

To engage youth, Johnson said there are plenty of non-profits seeking leadership from young adults. Johnson mentioned his involvement with the Boy Scouts, as well as other valuable programs that could occupy youth and benefit younger children. He also suggested making transportation to activities already happening more accessible to youth. Using the town’s transit system and creating a transit pass for youth could be a possibility. 

In his closing remarks, Johnson said he hopes to have another term to serve Hinton. 

“I want to continue to work building our community.”

The Hinton Election Forum, from Sept. 30, will play Monday through Friday this week at 6 p.m., and this Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. For those of you not present at the forum, this is a good opportunity to see what the candidates stand for.