B.C. municipal election 2018: Chetwynd results

Allen Courtoreille has been elected mayor of Chetwynd, capturing 51.8 per cent of the vote against challenger Alec D. Brownlee, according to unofficial results posted by CivicInfo BC. This will be Courtoreille’s first term as mayor, replacing outgoing Merlin Nichols.

On city council, incumbents Clay Bassendowski, Mel R. Deck, Rochelle Galbraith and Laura Weisgerber have all won another term. Jocelyn A. Disher and Janet L. Wark won the final two seats in their first election.

Below is the full list of the candidates for mayor and council.

Candidates

Mayor:

Alec D. Brownlee

Allen Courtoreille

Council:

Clay Bassendowski (incumbent)

Mel R. Deck (incumbent)

Jocelyn A. Disher

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Rochelle Galbraith (incumbent)

Merlin Nichols

Janet L. Wark

Laura Weisgerber (incumbent)

Boundary

Located in B.C.’s Peace River region, Chetwynd lies south of Moberly Lake, and about 100 kilometres west of Dawson Creek.

Population (2016)

2,503

History

Chetwynd‘s history is tied inexorably to the man who gave the town its name — Ralph Chetwynd.

He came to B.C. for the first time in 1908 and settled in Ashcroft. He managed a fruit farm, then returned to the Cariboo region and worked in transportation in cattle ranching.

He would become the Cariboo MLA in 1952, and a director of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway.

Chetwynd advocated hard for the development of the Peace River region, believing despite many contrary opinions that the Pacific Great Eastern railway would make it through the Rocky Mountains and end up there.

The railway would do just that in 1957, arriving in a place once known as “Little Prairie” but was later renamed after Chetwynd, who became minister in charge of railroads.

Unfortunately, he would not live to see trains reach the town — he died just a few months before that happened.

The railway helped to foster a logging industry in Chetwynd, attracting business and investors in industry.

Median total income of couple economic families with children (2015)/B.C. median

$131,413/$111,736

Political representation

Federal

Bob Zimmer (Conservative)

Provincial

Mike Bernier (BC Liberal)