Big Lk Community Mtg re: WL Community Forest

Big Lake Community Hall

Yesterday, on a Sunday afternoon from 1-3pm, numerous residents from 150 Mile House, Miocene, Big Lake, and Horsefly met to get an update on the discussions taken place with the City of WL/WL Indian Band in regards to a proposed Community Forest where the vast majority of it would be located in the Big Lake area while a smaller block would be located in the Esler area on Dog Creek Rd

Cariboo-North MLA Bob Simpson, Cariboo RD Area 'F' Director Joan Sorley and Mike Pedersen of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Forest District were also in attendance.  The meeting was moderated by Sam Zirnhelt who, along with Jack Darney, gave an review of the history of the proposed Community Forest Agreement or CFA and what has taken place to date with regard to the proposed CFA

Mr. Zirnhelt noted that the City of WL Council and WL Indian Band were both invited but were unable to attend but both parties expressed a desire to meet with the Big Lake-Horsefly-Miocene Community Forest Working Group consisting of Ross McCoubrey, David Zirnhelt, Jack Darney, Sam Zirnhelt, Bee Hooker and Cecil Morhart in the near future.  Mr. Zirnhelt also noted that recently appointed Director of the Williams Lake Community Forest General Partnership Ltd, Travis Redl, has stepped down from this post this past Friday after being appointed to this post by WL City Council earlier this year

A general discussion on the WL Community Forest and its' impacts on Big Lake and surrounding communities then took place

At the end of the meeting, those assembled agreed to the following:

1) That the Ministry of Forests be advised that Big Lake, Horsefly, Miocene residents do not agree with the currently proposed WL Community Forest

2) That the Ministry of Forests be requested to convene a facilitated session with the Community Forest proponents (City of WL/WL Indian Band) and that of the Big Lake-Horsefly-Miocene Community Forest Working Group to discuss the Working Group's concerns

3) That a decision on the proposed WL Community Forest be delayed until concerns from the Working Group are dealt with in a timely and fair manner

I think the feeling at the end of the meeting is best summed up by what Cariboo RD Area 'F' Director Joan Sorley posted to her Facebook page, in part:

Unanimous resolution to continue to ask the proponents to deal directly with communities in order to arrive at a CFA that the communities can support! Also unanimous vote of confidence for the community reps!

As a City resident - I hope that Wiliams Lake Mayor Kerry Cook, and that of her Council, is truly sincere in her desire to meet with reps from the  Big Lake-Horsefly-Miocene Community Forest Working Group as even I know that the proposed WL Community Forest can not work unless it has a "social license" to continue, that is to say -- that it has the consent of the  Big Lake-Horsefly-Miocene Community Forest Working Group and the residents that live in Big Lake, Horsefly, Miocene and 150 Mile House

-- SBF