City of WL ups "Ante" on Cariboo RD Rural Fire Protection

Earlier today - the City of Williams Lake issued another press release on the "tiff" over Cariboo RD Rural Fringe Fire Protection.  One statement that leaves me and likely rural residents' and maybe even City of WL residents' scratching our collective heads was:

The City made an offer to the CRD within the bounds of the costs outlined in the referendum question, which the CRD did not accept

Why then, if this is true, would the Cariboo RD Board then submit something the Board itself did not support and then waste close to $10,000 on a referendum and ask residents' to vote on something that their (Cariboo RD Directors') elected representatives did not support themselves... It certainly doesn't make sense to me.... Also - Cariboo RD Chair (and Area 'G' Director) Al Richmond repeated his Christmas statement that the Cariboo Regional District has a written offer by the City of Williams Lake for rural fringe fire protection at the cost of $129 per $100,000 which was then endorsed by CRD Rural Fringe Area D, E, F residents' on Nov 24th, 2012 by a ratio of 97-3

Meanwhile - Thursday's Fire Protection Meeting, hosted by the Cariboo Regional District, at 5:30pm in the Gibraltar Room will be an interesting meeting to observe

City of Williams Lake press release:

The City has received numerous inquiries from both City and rural residents, the most common of which involves the continuation of rural fire protection services after Jan. 1, 2013.

The process of finding an equitable solution to rural fire protection services has been a complex and challenging one. Negotiations with the Cariboo Regional District were difficult and inconclusive. There was extensive deliberation and debate by Council, and decisions were not unanimous. Consistent among all members of Council was the intent to continue the service, and ensure residents were not without fire protection.

The City made an offer to the CRD within the bounds of the costs outlined in the referendum question, which the CRD did not accept. This left the City unable to offer the service without an agreement in place, due to significant insurance concerns and liability risk. The Dec. 21 Supreme Court of B.C. injunction allows the service to continue to April 30 without a long-term agreement.

“The City’s relationship with the Cariboo Regional District is very important, and we want to have a positive, constructive one,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “The City and CRD have important business to do together, and the City is committed to find ways to do that business in a respectful manner. I’m confident that it can happen on this issue as well.”