The District of Port Hardy held an open house event at the Civic Centre on Wednesday, April 9 to engage with local taxpayers and inform them about what exactly the district does.
Treena Smith, who is currently in her second term as a councillor, noted holding the open house was important because it's a "good way to get the information out there about where your taxes go and all the services we provide. We have an incredible staff here and we have a lot to be proud of, especially when you look at the size of our community and how we operate with limited tax dollars."
Smith added it means a lot to her to be able to represent the residents who voted for her.
"I love this community," she said. "I care about it deeply and I just want to make sure I represent it as well as I can. It's huge responsibility."
Dennis Dugas is currently in his second term as a councillor and he was also previously elected as the mayor of Port Hardy. He said overall it's been a great experience being a local politician and he's really enjoyed his time in office getting to interact with the community.
"Having open houses like this and getting the community to come out and see what we're doing is great," he stated, adding that getting to represent the taxpayers of Port Hardy "means everything" to him.
"They support me and I'm gonna do everything that I possibly can to support them."
Coun. John Tidbury, who recently was presented with an award for 25 years of service by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, said he has been "proud to serve" Port Hardy all these years, going back all the way to 1988, and that his job here is "not finished, that's for sure."
Tidbury confirmed he's interested in running for another term as councillor, as he still has some more projects in mind he would like to see through to the finish line.
Port Hardy's Chief Administrative Officer Heather Nelson-Smith explained the open house was put together as "an opportunity for us to just be able to explain to the public exactly what we do," noting it originated as a way "to educate staff on everything that's happening within our own organization, but then we thought we better open it up to the public and make it so they could learn more as well."
Mayor Pat Corbett-Labatt echoed Nelson-Smith's statement, stating she felt putting on the open house was "really, really important" because they want to make sure people know "what the district does, and we want them to have an opportunity to be able to ask questions and see how diverse our operation is."
She said she hopes the taxpayers of Port Hardy are happy with what council has done so far while trying to make the community more vibrant, and she feels they are doing "the best we can."
When asked what she would tell people who are thinking about moving to Port Hardy, she said this is an amazing community and "we welcome new and diverse people coming here."
Above all else, Corbett-Labatt said she wanted to take a moment to thank the entire team at the district.
"Everyone from the elected council members, the staff, the volunteers and the contractors, they're all working hard to make things better for the community and the North Island as a whole."
