Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 2.12.14

6 | FEBRUARY 12, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

Lincoln County Lawmaker Looks North for Jobs

Republican Rep. Mike

Cufe says the key to

Lincoln County’s eco-

nomic future is just over

the border

By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon

EUREKA – One of Mike Cufe’s solu-

tions to the stubbornly high jobless rate
in Northwest Montana isn’t actually in
Montana. It’s located about eight miles
north, across the border, in the oil ields
and lumber mills of Canada.
Cufe, 67, is spearheading an efort
to let Montanans work in Canada, where
there is currently a shortage of workers

in some industries. In early 2013, a Brit-
ish Columbia coal mine made headlines
when it announced it would be import-
ing 200 workers from China to ill jobs.
Cufe thinks those jobs can be illed with
Americans and, speciically, Montan-
ans.

“People would live here, maintain
their homes here, and have their kids go
to school here,” he said, “if they bring a
good paycheck home. They’ll set up a
shop, build a new house and eventually
that will stimulate the local economy.”
The Eureka Republican was elected ABOVE: Rep. Mike Cufe shows of his 1931 Ford Model-A at his home. Cufe collects historic vehicles.
to the Montana House of Representa-
LEFT: Cufe describes the diiculty of sending Lincoln County residents to work at jobs in Canada.
tives in 2010 and has grown in stature
since then, serving as majority whip PHOTOS BY GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
during the 2013 session.
In November, Cufe organized a job
symposium in Eureka titled “Work In ington, D.C. Shoup encouraged Cufe to ly 10 percent of Lincoln County’s taxable
Canada But Live In Montana” to rally stay longer, but he and his family were land was trapped underwater, according
support to roll back regulations and bar- drawn back to Montana.
to Cufe. He believes that other commu-
riers for Americans trying to ind work “When he realized I was going home nities have beneited from the dams – in-

north of the border. He also proposes (to Lincoln County) he started talking cluding by receiving inexpensive energy
lying a plane to and from Eureka every to me about getting active and running and lood control – while Lincoln County
week that area workers could commute for state oice,” Cufe recalled. “He’s the paid the price. A major factor in the trea-
to jobs in the oil ields and coal mines of one who planted the seed.”
ty’s creation was the 1948 lood that de-
northern British Columbia, including After a successful career in the tim- stroyed Vanport City, Ore.
the areas were mines were importing ber industry and publishing, Cufe de- “We gave up a lot. People were torn
workers from China.
cided to run for oice in 2010. Following out of their homes and had their land

Cufe also noted the Canfor Corpora- the election he sold his business so he taken; it disappeared under water,” he
tion lumber mill just north of the border could focus on the Legislature. Speaker said.
and Teck Mining near Sparwood, both of the House Mark Blasdel said Cufe’s Cufe is encouraging the Bonnev-
of which have expressed interest in hir- dedication was obvious from the start, ille Power Administration and the U.S.
ing Americans during the symposium. which is why he was able to rise through Army Corps of Engineers to establish
Canadian government oicials and rep- the ranks and become majority whip. As a community trust similar to what B.C.
resentatives from the U.S. Embassy also and the unemployment rate is at 13.5 whip, Cufe helps organize legislators Hydro has done by taking energy proits
attended.
percent, the highest in the state.
and counts votes for the House leader- from the dams and putting the money

Cufe has worked on the project with “If we can get a few people through ship.
toward town projects in southeastern
the Paciic Northwest Economic Re- the process, the process will get easier,” “He cares deeply about the people he British Columbia.
gion, a nonproit organization focusing he said.
represents and he shares that passion Cufe also wants changes in federal
on economic issues in the Paciic North- Cufe has deep family roots in Lin- with everyone,” Blasdel said.
regulations that would ease restrictions
west and western Canada. One of the coln County. His great uncle came to the That passion has largely focused on on timber harvesting.
biggest barriers is regulation of foreign area in the late 1870s. Cufe was born rejuvenating Lincoln County’s econo- While Cufe said he is happy in the
workers in Canada, but also Americans in Eureka in 1947 and got his irst job at my. Cufe has also been focused on the Legislature, many people, including

unfamiliar with navigating the system, the Tobacco Valley News when he was a Columbia River Treaty. The treaty is a Lincoln County Commissioner Mike
Cufe said. He proposed establishing teenager. In the 1960s he attended the 1964 agreement between Canada and Coke said the lawmaker has the energy
Lincoln County as a “work free zone” University of Montana and later became the United States that established the to seek higher oice.
that would make it easier for locals to editor of the Western News in Libby. In Libby Dam and three dams in British “Would I like to be Speaker of the
cross the border for work. He said the that role, Cufe covered Montana Con- Columbia. In 2024 the treaty can be House? Well sure, it’d be fun to be the
designation is attainable since Lincoln gressman Richard Shoup on a visit to terminated or changed with at least 10 top dog, but I like what I’m doing now,”
County is a sparsely populated area that Libby and the two men stayed in touch. years notice. Over the past few years, Cufe said. “Had I started 10 years ear-
wouldn’t lood the Canadian job mar- When Shoup’s press secretary had to groups on both sides of the border have lier, maybe I’d take a shot at something

ket. The population was just over 19,000 leave his post in the winter of 1973, Cufe been reevaluating the treaty.
bigger.”
in 2010, slightly below that of Kalispell,
took a temporary assignment in Wash-
When the Libby Dam was built, near-
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