DON Roberts has been re-elected as chief councillor for the Kitsumkalum First Nation.
It’s the sixth time Roberts has been elected to the position.
This time out, with election day being Feb. 23, he gathered 138 votes compared to challengers Kathy Wesley who received 80 votes and Armin Musterer who received 15 votes.
For the seven council positions there were 21 candidates and Cynthia Bohn topped the polls with 138 votes.
Also elected to council were Wayne Bolton, Kenny Brown, Troy Sam, Susan Spalding, Kathy Wesley and Lisa Wesley.
The council at one time had six council positions but an increase in population resulted in the addition of a seventh seat.
Roberts continues his chief councillor duties at a time when the Kitsumkalum First Nation, like the other first nation in the area, the Kitselas, pursue a final land claims and governance treaty with the provincial and federal governments.
Both have already approved of final treaty agreements in principle covering cash and land transfers.
Although the Kitsumkalum have a land base in the Terrace area their interests also take in the Skeena River down to the coast and in the Prince Rupert area.
Roberts has been firm in the past about asserting the Kitsumkalum marine interests, particularly in port developments in the Prince Rupert area and with prospective liquefied natural gas plants also in the Prince Rupert area.
Locally, the Kitsumkalum have developed a quarry and benefitted from the construction of BC Hydro’s Northwest Transmission Line which passed through its traditional territory on its way north.
Transmission line main contractor Valard also based a work camp at Kitsumkalum with infrastructure constructed so that it could be converted to another use.
