Don Mcpherson, Natasha Dougherty, Dave Thompsan and Keith Bertrand in a still from the livestream. See below for link to full video of the by-election debate.
Upwards of 60+ people attended the by-election debate between the four candidates running for the seat recently evacuated by former councillor Ken Klikach, packing room 5.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a turn-out like this, even for a regular election,” said moderator and former Chamber Executive Director Jerrilyn Kirk, filling in for Kathleen Connolly, who was supposed to be the moderator, but was forced to cancel due to poor weather.
Also in attendance were the four candidates: Natasha Dougherty, David Thompson and two former mayors, Keith Bertrand and Don Mcpherson. “This is a great opportunity to learn more about their platforms their ideas and why they believe they are the right choice for Tumbler Ridge,” said Kirk. “I’d like to thank all of them for stepping up. Putting your name forward and running for office is no small feat. It takes guts, commitment and just the right amount of optimism that you’re not going to get too much of a backlash on Facebook.”
The debate started off with each candidate introducing themselves and some of the issues they are passionate about.
David Thompson told about his history as chief geologist for Conuma until he retired last year; before that he worked at Peace River Coal since 2006 and moved back to Tumbler Ridge full time in 2020. “I’ve worked at all the different mines around town, so I’m very knowledgeable about the mining industry,” he says. “At the same time I wanted to get involved in the community. Some of you know me as the guy who’s always got the chainsaw in his hand, out there clearing the trails. I’ve put a lot of work into that. Something that I’ve always felt strongly about is giving back to the community that I live in—the community that I want to be part of—and make a meaningful difference.”
Next on the list was Natasha Dougherty, the self-proclaimed “crazy lady who is always helping around town.”
Dougherty says she’s lived in Tumbler for the last nine years, but has been visiting here since 2010. “I am an active member in multiple organizations and non-profits, mostly child-related sports. I like just being a part of this community, and being a council member would be the next step in helping do the things that I want to do around town: things like fixing the sidewalks and planting flowers. A large part of this town runs on volunteers. We do a lot and it’s kind of crazy the amount of volunteer hours that people do around town that seems to go unrecognized or undervalued for a town that very much runs on volunteers. I would like to start supporting them in more of the things that this community is good at.”
The third candidate is Keith Bertrand. Bertrand and his wife have been in Tumbler Ridge since 2002, and have raised their two daughters here. He says that after not being on council over the last term, he has found himself starting to complain about things that are happening in town. “I’m the type of person that if I have something to complain about, I would rather do something about it. That’s why I decided to put my name forward again.
The fourth candidate in the election is Don Mcpherson. Mcpherson was mayor before Bertrand, and sat on council for a couple terms before that. These days he’s retired, and has lots of time to commit to the community. “I’ve lived here for 45 years,” says Mcpherson. “There was just a few roads and ribbons and no buildings the first time I came here. Tumbler Ridge has given me a great life.”
He has 18 years of council experience. “A lot of people ask me why I would run again. I really enjoy it. I bring the history and why things were done the way they were done back in the day. I don’t believe that things shouldn’t change, but it’s a lot easier to make those decisions when you know why things were done the way they were. My mind can be changed by a good argument. I’ve been through the high and lows in town and I definitely like the highs better, when the mines are working and everybody’s making good paychecks. My strength is common sense.”
For the full video, visit: https://tumblerridgelines.com/2025/03/27/by-election-debate-march-27/
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
