Houston mayor Shane Brienen has a short message for his community.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been through this before and we鈥檙e going to work through this again.鈥�
Just a day after the largest employer in the town, Canfor, announced it was closing its sawmill in April affecting hundreds of workers directly and more people who cut the trees and truck them to the mill, Brienen is advocating for calmness.
It was just nine years ago that Houston went through a similar shock when Canfor and West Fraser finished a timber swap so that Canfor ended up with West Fraser鈥檚 Houston area wood and West Fraser ended up with Canfor鈥檚 wood in the Quesnel area.
The result was a closure of West Fraser鈥檚 mill in Houston in 2014 and a closure of Canfor鈥檚 mill in Quesnel.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had practice at this. We鈥檝e had the college pull out. We鈥檝e had people leave, but we鈥檝e surprised everyone and we can do it again,鈥� said Brienen.
It鈥檚 a theme Brienen will be taking into talks with Canfor and with senior government officials as more becomes known about the company鈥檚 plans.
What does make Brienen nervous, however, is that while Canfor is closing its mill as of April, its board of directors won鈥檛 be making a decision about replacing it with a more modern facility until June.
鈥淚 think that as a council you don鈥檛 want to panic and you don鈥檛 want people to panic as well,鈥� Brienen continued.
鈥淧eople are still processing the news. They鈥檒l be making their own decisions. But what I want people to know that they will have the recreation and other services of the District,鈥� he said.
That鈥檚 because the District just this month adopted a series of bylaws which reallocated the District鈥檚 cash reserves, setting up a budget stabilization fund and an emergency fund of $1.65 million each.
Each are intended to see the District and its residents through tough spots when unexpected events or circumstances might have a financial impact on the local government.
Brienen said discussions about the need to set aside a financial cushion began some years ago and accelerated in consideration of a significant impact such as a mill closure.
He also remembers asking the province for several million dollars to stabilize the District鈥檚 finances when 2014 mill closure took place.
鈥淲e said then we don鈥檛 want to be known as a community that collects EI. What we said then and I鈥檒l say it again now, since 1980 the mills in Houston have paid $1 billion in stumpage to the province,鈥� said Brienen.
While that was money paid by companies, it also represented the worth and value of the workers鈥� contributions, he said.
鈥淲e have three people on council who went through this last time. We know how this stuff works. This might be different than the last one, the government is different but we know what to expect.鈥�
And as a sign of the local council鈥檚 confidence in the community its future, it has already signed several millions of dollars of contracts to continue the modernization of below ground civic works and above ground improvements within its downtown core.
It鈥檚 part of a long-range revitalization plan that forms part of the District鈥檚 response to the 2014 mill closure by positioning the community for economic diversification.
The work to take place this summer was planned for last year but stalled when the District could not find contractors to take on the project.
鈥淭he grant money is there. There鈥檚 no going back on it,鈥� said Brienen of the confidence the council has in the community.
He said the council is planning a town hall meeting in several weeks to explain its plans and to pass along what more it has learned after speaking with Canfor and senior governments.
