A second person has announced she's running for the NDP nomination for the Skeena riding for the next provincial election.
Nicole Halbauer of Terrace says she can't sit by any longer and watch the resources of the northwest be extracted and the money go down south instead of staying here.
“We can't just allow big industry to take over and have nothing for our future,” she says.
Halbauer, who is from Kitsumkalum, said she believes in responsible development, adding she wants to be able to take her grandchildren to the Skeena River some day and fish as she has done.
She said she recognizes that responsible development is needed so that people can earn a living and have access to childcare, health care and education.
Halbauer also keyed in on affordable housing, saying people must be able to afford a place to live and still pay their utilities instead of having to choose between paying for electricity and eating.
Halbauer has worked for the federal government as a zone secretary for the First Nations Inuit Health branch and then as its community services coordinator, and provincially for the Northern Health Authority.
She has an associate degree in criminology from Northwest Community College and Thompson Rivers University and is now completing a masters in business administration at the University of Northern BC.
She was an elected band council member for Kitsumkalum and a school board trustee for Coast Mountains School District. She and her husband are the new owners of Kalum Kabs.