Laurie Gallant is the Executive Director for MASH (Making Agriculture Sustainable for the Hazeltons), a non-profit organization aimed at localizing The Hazeltons' food system and building resilience in the face of climate change.

The organization started in 2017 as the Permaculture Farm Festival Club with one goal: start a new festival in the Hazeltons that celebrates sustainable living, live music, and great local food and drink. After achieving that goal and pivoting, the group's latest Open House results indicate that centralized composting, an Expanded Apple Pressing Program, an expanded Equipment Library, Community Cold Storage (root cellar and freezer), Community Garden and Greenhouse, and Year Round Access to Local Food are their focused projects.

Laurie is presenting MASH's next steps in regards to the centralized composting plan for the Hazeltons to the Smithers Climate Action group this month including how businesses, farms and individuals can compost. A privately-owned site has been found and MASH is working closely with the District of Kitimat-Stikine as well as a councillor for New Hazelton who has expressed interest in a composting plan for Hazelton.

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Annie Usanovic is a 26 year old woman living in Houston, BC. She was a full-time employee of the Houston Sawmill along with her spouse and her father. Then one day in April of 2023, all three of them held a glass and toasted to their last day of work after the CANFOR board shut down the facility for an unknown length of time while they decided if they would build a new facility or leave the community completely.

While ultimately the board decided to rebuild a facility, the closure left 10% of the town's population unemployed for an indeterminate amount of time. Community services such as food programs for kids and incentives to re-enter the workforce came into place as a way to help curtail the financial burden of households without their main source of income.

Annie's life changed drastically. When her and her spouse were left without a job between them, he took a job at Brucejack mine (in Kitimat, over 300 kms away) and she decided it was time to seek new opportunities.