An increase in the City of Terrace’s population also means increased voting influence on the board of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine.
Based on the results of the 2021 census the city’s population grew so that the city will now have seven votes, up from six, when the regional district’s board makes spending and other decisions.
The one vote increase now means there are 27 votes among the 12 regional district board members.
Terrace is first with seven votes followed by Kitimat with five while Thornhill, the large rural area surrounding Terrace and extending south toward Kitimat, and the Hazeltons each have three.
New Hazelton has one vote as does Stewart, New Hazelton, Hazelton, the Nass Valley, the Dease Lake area and the Iskut/Telegraph Creek area.
Terrace was the only location to grow enough in size so that its voting strength increased.
It is also the only area within the regional district boundries that’s large enough to have two people either directly elected to the board or appointed from a municipality. Every other municipality or area has just one person on the board.
Terrace’s two directors who will serve on the regional district board for the next year are mayor Sean Bujtas and councillor James Cordeiro. They were the city’s representatives last year.
For the purposes of dividing the city’s seven votes among Cordeiro and Bujtas, Cordeiro will have four votes and Bujtas will have three votes.
Councillors Sarah Zimmerman and Dave Gordon were named as alternates.