Image: Supplied by Nicole Huitema Read / Local business leader and entrepreneur Nicole Huitema Read will run for Chilliwack City Council in this fall's election.
Fall election

Local business leader, lifelong Chilliwack resident Huitema Read announces run for Chilliwack City Council

Sep 6, 2022 | 9:26 AM

CHILLIWACK — A versatile business leader and entrepreneur with a long history in Chilliwack will run for a seat on the Chilliwack City Council this fall.

Local business leader and lifelong Chilliwack resident Nicole Huitema Read announced Tuesday (Sept. 6) her run for one of the six seats to be filled on Chilliwack City Council in this fall’s election.

Huitema Read is the general manager of Community Futures South Fraser, an organization that works collaboratively with Chilliwack’s Economic Resource Network. Together with their local partners the group has injected millions of dollars towards the long-term growth of Chilliwack, helping make the city a great place to live and work. Prior to joining Community Futures, she and her husband spent the last 25 years owning and operating multiple Chilliwack businesses.

“I opened my first company at the age of 25 and never looked back,” Huitema Read said. “After 25 years of starting and developing my own businesses, I now have the opportunity to support other local entrepreneurs who are working hard to make our city a richer, more diverse place to live.”

Through Chilliwack Healthier Community, Huitema Read has also served on task teams dedicated to poverty reduction, food security, mental health awareness, and transportation innovations. She is a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Chilliwack, and former board member of the Ann Davis Transition Society.

Huitema Read was born in Chilliwack and raised on her parents’ dairy farm. She and her husband Brad have two daughters and have spent the last 20 years raising them in this community.

When asked why she feels ready to serve as a city councillor, Huitema Read replied, “I’ve spent my entire life listening, serving, and working towards the future of Chilliwack, so like all of us, I’ve been impacted by the rapid growth that our community is experiencing. I believe that now more than ever, our community needs progress on issues we agree on, like better roadways, increased law enforcement, more flood protections, and initiatives encouraging long term economic stability.”

Some of the policies and projects that Huitema Read supports include keeping business taxes and fees low, protecting the ALR, making roadways easier and safer to travel by foot or bicycle, increasing the safety of our neighbourhoods, maintaining reasonable property taxes, enhancing our network of parks and trails, and working with provincial and federal partners to maintain and raise the dykes where needed.

To find out more about Huitema Read’s platform, or to contact her, please visit www.nicolehuitemaread.ca.

General voting day is Saturday, October 15.