Cariboo RD to City of WL: See You in Court!

Editor's Note -- As a City resident, I am saddened that the Regional District was forced into this however I was not surprised that it happened after WL Council's Dec 11th vote - after that motion came out, I knew it would only be a matter of time before this ended up in the courts.... I wonder how much this will cost taxpayers' of Williams Lake and whether or not honouring the original fire protection deal ($129 per $100,000 of assessment) would have been the 'smarter' thing to do... and continue to lobby over time to ask rural CRD residents' to pay 'full cost recovery', even if it took years to get rural residents' and their elected officials to see the City of WL point of view

Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District:

The Cariboo Regional District has applied for a legal injunction to require the City of Williams Lake to honour its pre-referendum offer to provide fire protection services to fringe area residents and to ensure that those services cannot be terminated.

Contrary to recent local radio reports, at this time, the Cariboo Regional District has not received any formal notification that this service will be extended into the New Year. When the Regional District requested written confirmation from the City, they were advised that the City had not issued a statement agreeing to extend the services. At this time the City’s only offer to extend the service is based on the Regional District agreeing to enter into a short-term contract at the maximum amount that can be raised under the terms of the referendum. 

Our primary focus is to ensure our residents receive uninterrupted fire protection services to keep them safe and protected into the New Year. With a looming deadline of Dec. 31, the Christmas season upon us, the possibility that many snowbird residents are completely unaware that their fire protection services may be in jeopardy, and the demonstrated lack of commitment of the City to honour previous offers, the Regional District felt forced to act to secure that safety.

A public meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 17, at 6:30 p.m. in the Gibraltar Room for affected residents. This will provide those residents with an opportunity to learn about any options the CRD may be considering and to provide any feedback they may have as to how they wish for the CRD to proceed on their behalf.

Further updates and information will be posted on the CRD website at cariboord.bc.ca or on our Facebook page at facebook.com/caribooregion.