With municipal elections in British Columbia drawing nearer, the Fitzhugh is continuing its series of candidate profiles this week and in the coming weeks to let people across the region know what’s going on and to help our readers in B.C. make an informed decision on election day, Nov. 19.

Featured on this page are profiles of Christine Latimer and Sandy Salt, who are running for Valemount council, and Cynthia Piper, who is running to be mayor of Valemount.  

Latimer hopes to embolden council

Christine Latimer, candidate for Valemount council, says she has insight into the needs of the village.

“I believe that because I’ve been involved with so many of the organizations within our village that I can offer some good insight and some support to the mayor and council,” she said.

Latimer, a nine-year resident of Valemount, is the manager of the Best Western. She is also the chair of the Valemount and area Chamber of Commerce; she sits on the board of directors for the Valemount Area Recreational Development Association, Tourism Valemount, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), and the TOTA Financial Committee. And she is also an active member of Ducks Unlimited.

“I think I can offer at least an opinion, as being a part of council,” she said.

And one of those opinions is that council needs to work toward solving the community’s economic struggles. 

She said one way to do that is to support the projects that are currently under consideration, like the proposed Borealis GeoPower plant, the bike park and the Crystal Ridge Ski Hill.

“I think as council we need to support all of the proposed projects that are on the table right now and we need to attract and support future development.”

Other areas of focus, she said, should also be improving tourism opportunities, improving transportation, attracting and supporting future development, and updating broadband technology to attract new residents who can work online.

And while doing all of this, council should be looking for funding from provincial and federal governments, she said.

Latimer said it’s all about building a strong community.

“If we want to build a healthy, sustainable community, we need to elect smart, bold leaders. I think I’m one of those leaders,” she said.

Councillor vying for mayoral position

After six years as a village councillor, Cynthia Piper said it’s time to move forward, so this year, she’s running for mayor.

The 30-year resident of Valemount said if residents choose her as mayor, one of her goals would be to give councillors a greater opportunity to speak.

“I want to make sure that the councillors that are voted in this year are heard. That’s one thing that I believe in, is letting them also speak. So I think I would make a good mayor in that sense,” she said.

Another thing she wants to focus on is attracting new industries to the valley.

“We’ve taken a hit with the forestry industry. Our tourism base is getting better, but we have to see if we can get some kind of other industries coming through here,” she said.

She expressed hope that the Borealis GeoPower project proposed for the Canoe Reach-Kinbasket Lake region will help Valemount attract industries, by eliminating the frequent power outages experienced by the area.

“Once you’ve got secure power, then industry will probably look at us more,” she said.

Another important project that could bring more jobs to the community is the proposed tantalum mine between Valemount and Blue River, she said.

“We’re hoping they’ll come to Valemount when they’re up and viable and running, that they’ll use us as their base of operations.”

She said it’s important that the municipality work to make these possibilities a reality.

“Getting some jobs and getting some industry into the valley is something that’s extremely important at the moment.”

As a village councillor, Piper has served on the Arena Management Committee, Prince George Treaty Advisory Committee, the Wildfire Protection/Prevention Committee and was elected president of the Valemount Community Forest Company Ltd.

She and her husband also own a low bed trucking company called Swift Creek Holding Ltd. and she also works for both BC Liquor and Canada Post.

Former administrator eyes council seat

Sandy Salt spent the past four and a half years taking orders from council and now she said she’s ready to try her hand at giving the orders.

Salt was the Village of Valemount’s corporate officer until the end of September. She resigned from her position so she and her husband could concentrate their efforts on their home-based e-commerce business.

“It was time for me to step away from my full-time position,” she said, “but I still really wanted to be involved with what happened in the community, and by running for council, I actually then have the ability to speak up and say what I want and not bite my tongue as I had to as a staff member.”

Salt said the transition from one side of the municipality to the other is a natural progression for her. She already has the background knowledge to step into the position, it will give her an opportunity to voice her opinions and it will allow her time to work on her home business, she said.

Salt said what she would like to see from the next council is a willingness to think outside the box and try new things.

“I think sometimes there’s fear and (councillors) are just too cautious. Sometimes I think you just need to take that chance and try something,” she said.

“For me I’m really glad to see that there has been tremendous support for the (proposed) Borealis GeoPower project,” she added. “I think that is a huge step in the right direction toward something new and something cutting edge. It would be something new for B.C. and Canada and would also help tremendously in giving us the reliable power we need in our valley to help encourage other industry to come here.”

She said the town can’t just rely on that project, though. It needs to think about tourism and how the community can market itself as a destination. To do that, she said, the village needs to diversify the outdoor activities that it currently offers.

“We really need to work on offering more activities to keep people here longer, stay here longer, activities anywhere from your intermediate to novice outdoor adventurist.”