WL Community Forest and surrounding rural communities

At the October 28th Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Board Meeting - CRD Area 'F' Director Joan Sorley raised a concern regarding the WL Community Forest and the possible impact on her local communities including Miocene/Big Lake.  As a result, the Board agreed to the following Resolution:

Moved Director Sorley; Seconded Director Mazur:

“That the Chair correspond with the City of Williams Lake, the Williams Lake Indian Band and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources, regarding the proposed new Community Forest Agreement (CFA) for the City of Williams Lake, which surrounds the communities of Big Lake, Horsefly, Miocene and 150 Mile House to ensure that the Cariboo Regional District is included as a participant in the CFA in order to provide a meaningful voice on behalf of the communities into the management of timber and nontimber CFA resources such as recreation, wildlife, water and scenic viewscapes, as well as other community objectives, values and priorities, and to share in the beneficial returns of a community forest.”

Carried Unanimously

Then at the November 17th CRD (Cariboo Regional District) Finance Committee meeting - Director Sorley tabled the following amendment to the Electoral Area 'F' Economic Development Function

Goal: To develop a framework to allow the communities of Big Lake, Miocene and Horsefly to benefit from the proposed Community Forest to be located surrounding the communities.

Strategy: Work with the City of Williams Lake and the Williams Lake Indian Band to ensure that the communities have a meaningful voice in management decisions that best support, preserve and enhance the communities within the influence of the Community Forest proposal.

Rationale: Community forests offer an economic benefit, a portion of which should flow to those communities most closely linked to the forest land base. In addition to the economic benefit, there are many management decisions that will need to be addressed to protect community viewscapes, recreational attributes and other community values and priorities.”

For the record - I support this new Goal for the Area 'F' Economic Development Function

However - CRD 100 Mile Director Mitch Campsall, Area I Director Jim Glassford and former Area 'E' Director Steve Mazur voted against the amendment to the Electoral Area 'F' Economic Development Function

At the December 9th CRD Board Meeting - the above recommendation from the Nov 17th CRD Finance Committee was formally opposed by Williams Lake CRD Director (and Williams Lake Mayor) Kerry Cook and 100 Mile Director (and 100 Mile Mayor) Mitch Campsall

The question I have for Mayor Cook is:

Why are you opposed to the communities of Miocene, Big Lake, Horsefly and 150 Mile House having meaningful consultation, with regard to the proposed WL Community Forest.  Instead of pitting Williams Lake vs Area 'F' communities - let's make the WL Community Forest work for everyone.

As a former CRD Area 'F' resident and a resident of Williams Lake - I strongly applaud the actions to date of the CRD Area 'F' Director on this issue and I would strongly encourage her to keep up the good work on this file...