Skip to content

Ann Louie re-elected chief at Sugar Cane

Chief Ann Louie has been re-elected for another four-term after receiving 99 votes.
3992tribune-a14-mly-mug-Chief-Ann-Louie-DSC_9085
Chief Ann Louie.

Chief Ann Louie has been re-elected for another four-term after receiving 99 votes during the Williams Lake Indian Band election held Aug. 21.

Louie said last May she would run again if she could start mentoring someone to run as chief in 2018.

Her opponent, Earl Thomas, received 52 votes.

Voter turnout was higher than the when she was elected in 2010.

The new council was effective immediately and was to have its first meeting on Sept. 2.

“The band has lots of work to do,” Louie said Thursday. “We’ve got the development along the highway corridor near Sugar Cane, working with the Ministry of Transportation and hope to finish it by spring of 2015.”

Alongside Louie, councillors Chris Wycotte, Willie Sure and Heather McKenzie were elected for four-year terms. William Sellars and Rick Gilbert remained as they are half way through their terms.

“We have appointed our seniors official table members that will include Brian Olding who did a report for us on Mount Polley in 2011,” Louie said.

The table is co-ordinated between the provincial government and First Nations.

Other representatives for the First Nations are are Grand Chief Stewart Philip, Chief Ed John and Amy Kirk who is working for Soda Creek Indian Band on the table.

There’s also the BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council which WLIB council members participate on, taking turns attending meetings.

The band has also appointed Jim Kuippers to be a liaison for the WLIB and Soda Creek on the independent engineering investigation and review panel of the Mount Polley tailings pond breach.

On Thursday, Aug. 28, the band also hosted an information session and invited Imperial Metals to update community members. “We feel that we aren’t getting all the information,” Louie said.



Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
Read more