PORT HARDY—The name Huddlestan will continue to be heard in association with Port Hardy Council after Deb Huddlestan was acclaimed as the new councillor to fill the vacancy left by the recent passing of her husband, Al.
After Al Huddlestan lost a long battle with cancer in March, district staff made preparations for a by-election to fill his seat at the council table.
By the close of the nomination period, staff had received applications from two candidates for the post. But when Deb's potential competitor found who they would be running against, they withdrew their name and Deb was left as the sole applicant.
Because there was only a single name in contention, staff were able to cancel preparations for the by-election and appoint Deb by acclimation.
The new councillor was welcomed to the position and sworn in prior to last week's council meeting, May 28.
Canada day relocation
Council received a letter from Tracy Sutton, organizer of the Canada Day celebration, requesting a move from the event's traditional Storey's Beach location.
Sutton requested permission to hold this year's festivities at Carrot Park saying, "I have received a lot of complaints from people in the community that they are unable to attend as they have no way of getting out to the beach."
She also noted that the move into town would allow the event to expand, hosting more booths and making it easier to enlist volunteers. Travel to Storey's Beach is commonly cited as a reason why people can't help out with the event.
"I truly love doing this event every year," Sutton wrote in her submission. "Just seeing the children and families having a great time is worth it, but I am finding it very hard to carry on with this project by myself."
The councillors approved the request.
Intergenerational day
With June 1 designated both National Health and Fitness Day and Intergenerational Day Canada, councillors and staff hit upon a novel way to mark both occasions.
The neat solution was to offer a two-for-one deal at the swimming pool for those accompanying a senior, mixing elements of both into one package.
Borrowing bylaw
The District received Statutory Approval to give final reading to a short-term borrowing bylaw.
Following receipt of ministerial approval the council adopted the Short Term Capital Borrowing Bylaw 1012-2013, allowing the District to borrow up to $100,000 for use in upgrading recreational facilities.
Currently, work is being undertaken on replacing boards in the arena and the funds will be used for these replacements.