The District of Houston had one major priority when seeking meetings with provincial ministers this year—keeping Houston-area logs milled locally.
That was the objective on the minds of a contingent from the District who attended the 2025 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention in Victoria from Sept. 22 to Sept. 26. The convention provides an opportunity for local governments to rub shoulders with provincial ministers and advocate for local needs, as well as interfacing with other local governments.
Mayor Shane Brienen said in a phone interview that the District is working on ideas for what to do with the old Canfor mill site, which was, at one point, the top employer in the area before the company shut it down on May 9, 2024.
The Houston contingent to UBCM met with the Ministry of Forests to discuss potential funding and other details, as they had in July when Minister Ravi Parmar was touring the North.
“We’re figuring something out there,” Brienen said. “We want to keep our logs milled locally.”
The group also participated in discussions surrounding healthcare, primarily elder care and palliative care.
“With not enough beds, people have to travel to Smithers or Burns Lake,” Brienen said. “That takes a toll on families.”
Brienen said the Houston contingent also had positive meetings with BC Hydro regarding construction of the proposed North Coast Transmission Line that is set to run from Prince George to Prince Rupert.
With Houston directly on the route, the District hopes to capture some of the economic activity resulting from construction. He noted that Houston was successful in prioritizing local workers and being a hub during construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
