District of Houston

Incorporated in 1957, Houston has a total land area of 72.83 square Km.  By highway the District is 81 Km west of Burns Lake and 64 Km southeast of Smithers. Houstons labour force is heavily concentrated in the primary, manufacturing, trades, transportation and related occupations; a reflection of its resource-based industries. Its labour force also includes a significant number of residents in occupations such as management, business, finance, sales and service. As the community grows and is able to support a wider range of businesses locally, it is expected that the number of residents employed in these other occupations will also grow.

The two mills in Houston, Canfor and Houston Forest Products, are amongst the top three mills in the province. Between the two of them, they provide for 555 FTE positions, as well as a number of contract positions, and have an annual payroll of $45 million. The mills estimate that their contracted activities such as logging, trucking, road construction, and silviculture support an additional 550 jobs (for a total of 1,205 FTE positions related to these two mills) in the region.

Five small wood manufacturers employ approximately 100 people in the Houston area, including specialty and value-added processing operations. The outlook for the Morice Forest District is positive based on current projections. The Districts present allowable annual cut (AAC), set by the Chief Forester, is projected to be sustainable for 90 years. The majority of the harvested wood is processed at Houstons mills.

Houston is located in a region of heavy mineralization. In 1997, Huckleberry Mines, an open pit copper mining operation, opened 125 km south of Houston. The mine directly employs 185 people plus contractors. Because of its distance from Houston, the mine operates a camp with a four-day on, four-day off shift rotation. The majority of the Huckleberry employees and their families live in the District of Houston and the surrounding area. Based on currently known reserves, Huckleberry has a projected remaining mine-life of 10 years. However, exploration in the vicinity of the current mine is ongoing and it is possible that mine-life may be extended if additional reserves are found.

Contact the District of Houston:
PO Box 370
Houston, B.C. V0J 1Z0
Phone: (250) 845-2238

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