ATHABASCA – The first Athabasca County resident to put their name forward for a council seat in the Oct. 18 municipal election comes from north of the river, has a background in agriculture, is a massage therapist by trade, and hopes to play a big part in the county’s future growth.
Camille Wallach is running in Division 9, north of the river, in the hopes of replacing former councillor Warren Griffin who vacated the council seat in July to take a job as CAO of the Village of Boyle.
Wallach was raised on her parents’ farm in Division 9 and went to school in Athabasca. After graduating she received her massage therapy certifications and soon moved to Edmonton, where she operated a thriving mobile massage business. The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying regulations stalled the growth of her business though, so she made her way back to the Athabasca area in 2020, after more than a decade in the city.
“I have a huge passion for business, and I love to see people grow and thrive,” she said in an interview Sept. 2. “So, how do we bring in new business to the community? And how do we attract young people?”
With that passion, sitting on the Tourism and Economic Development (TED) committee and helping to make the region more attractive for businesses of all sizes, along with the people who are going to work at these businesses and their families, is a priority for Wallach. Tourism opportunities are also abundant in the region, but doing even more to attract visitors is also a big part of moving forward, she said.
One thing the pandemic did do, she added, was make a rural lifestyle desirable to many others who had lived their lives in the city. She meets more and more of these new residents every day, many who are still employed at their old jobs, but working remotely in Athabasca County.
This makes the need for reliable mobile and broadband services even more crucial. It is also a big selling point for businesses considering setting up shop in the area. Continued cooperation between the area’s three municipalities on that, and a host of other issues, is great to see, and something she hopes to see more of.
“Growth in the county is good for the town, and growth in town is good for the county,” she said.
Of course, representing a rural municipality also means agriculture is never far from one’s mind, and it happens to be an area Wallach is very familiar with, having grown up in the area she hopes to represent. Recent agricultural disasters and dwindling numbers of farmers are a huge concern, but she is encouraged by those she sees stepping up to take over the family farm.
Transportation infrastructure is another one of those topics that is always a priority among residents, and is never far from the top of a councillor’s to-do list. Getting more familiar with how those decisions are made is also something she’s looking forward to as a potential councillor.
