WL Community Forest Open House - June 24th

Earlier tonight from 4-8pm at the Soccer Clubhouse - Dave Means Park, City of Williams Lake & Indian Band held an Open House to update the public on their joint Community Forest application since the April public meeting that was held at 150 Mile House.  Those elected officials in attendance included WL Indian Band Chief Ann Louie, Williams Lake Mayor Kerry Cook, WL City Councillor Sue Zacharias and Cariboo RD Area 'E' Director Byron Kemp

See below for documents distributed at the Open House:

WL Community Forest Open House

While I give the City of Williams Lake & WL Indian Band full marks for agreeing to make their business plan and application binder available for public review, I still question why the need for a Standing Committee and a Board of Directors when you can have one body to deal with all matters at one table, rather than two.  I appreciate the reasons given by Mayor Cook/Chief Louie as to the business rationale for having the two separate bodies but with the greatest of respect to them both -- I would suggest that it is much more cleaner to have discussions at one table and if necessary - develop the necessary protocols/policies/procedures to ensure business at the Board of Directors table for the WL Community Forest gets conducted in a healthy yet productive way with all people impacted by the Williams Lake Community Forest at one table, and not two

If the Standing Committee/Board of Directors structure remains - it is my opinion that it won't address the concerns I've heard expressed on a number of occasions by Big Lake and Miocene residents'...

I think once Big Lake/Miocene residents' review the Business Plan - the discussion may go back to the two things it always has -- Governance (Board of Directors) and benefits from the Community Forest flowing to rural communities

As I noted to Cariboo RD Area 'D' Director Deb Bischoff earlier tonight - if you changed 'City of Williams Lake' with 'Cariboo Regional District' - I wonder if the discussion would have already been done and the Community Forest application would now be in the Forest Ministers' hands for review/decision

According to Ken Day - both parties would like to submit this application over the next few months, possibly by this fall to Steve Thomson.  After he receives it - the estimate is six months for the provincial government to review it and make a decision.  That puts a decision in the Spring of 2014

I'm hoping to discuss the recent developments with Cariboo RD Area 'F' Alternate Director Jack Darney either Wed evening at the special CCRHD Board meeting or Thursday at the regularly scheduled Cariboo RD Board meeting and see what his own feelings on this are.

-- SBF