POUCE COUPE, BC -- Pouce Coupe Councillor Danielle Veach says she’s running for mayor to help the town move forward from the current Mayor’s controversial history.
Veach says if elected, she’d like to make progress on fixing roads and the slough, and improving community engagement. But she’s also adamant in restoring the reputation of the village.
Veach was elected in a by-election and sworn in last October. One of the first motions she put forward was to remove Mayor Lorraine Michetti from her portfolios for a second time. The motion was passed by council.
This came after Michetti was stripped of her responsibilities earlier that year, after she compared gun owners to Holocaust victims and allegedly made racist comments about Indigenous people.
On both occasions, Michetti sued the village and had her responsibilities restored by the Supreme Court. The Village of Pouce Coupe is currently appealing the latest ruling to restore her responsibilities.
Michetti’s initial controversial comments were greeted with swift reaction from local political leaders. The Peace River Regional District, the District of Taylor, and the Mayor of Fort St. John all denounced her behavior.
Last fall, Michetti attracted further controversy when she claimed the media was lying about people in hospital with COVID-19. BC’s Health Minister Adrian Dix denounced her comments.
Veach says she believes the community deserves better, which is why she introduced the motion in the first place.
“It was something that needed to happen for us to move forward. Because we weren’t moving forward, we were just staying stagnant,” she says. “And I think the big changes that are happening within our village right now – the slough, the roads, Canada Day, getting our office up and functioning – all show that [the motion] did actually lead to progress within our village.”
CJDC-TV reached out to Lorraine Michetti for comment. She did not respond to our request.
