In what will surely be one of his last official acts, Mayor Rob Mackin and new Chief Administrative Officer at Town of Hinton, Stephane Labonne traveled to Edmonton on Oct. 16 to meet with representatives from the province about the Mountain Pine Beetle. The meeting gave the town an opportunity to voice their concerns about the spread of the beetle and the effect it could have on the local economy. …Mackin credits the province for coming to the table so quickly after the release of this year’s data. “I was very pleased with the quick turnaround,” said Mackin. “They were very receptive. They heard me loud and clear that this is potentially a natural disaster and that we need the province to step up and help out financially.”