Following the installation of new council members, third-term mayor Dave MacDonald outlined what he saw as the three key priorities for the coming years.
The first priority he outlined was the new school. Residents overwhelmingly passed a referendum allowing the District to borrow up to $2 million to construct a new school attached to the community hall, and the hope is to have it open in early 2013 – just months after the current Port Edward school will be closed by Prince Rupert School District and put under the management of Port Edward.
Shifting from one generation to another, MacDonald also said the municipality should look at ways to keep seniors in Port Edward. MacDonald said he knows several seniors who have had to leave the District and move to Prince Rupert or elsewhere for care, and said he would be very much in favour of pursuing the construction of seniors housing. The idea was brought forward before and land was offered up, but it didn’t proceed.
The final priority outlined by mayor MacDonald was seeing the development of a proposed subdivision advancing in light of the developments that are taking place at the port and in the region.