Civil Disobdience at Big Lake?

Earlier today - I received a copy of a Letter to the Editor authored by Big Lake resident Bee Hooker.  I have contacted Mr. Hooker and he has given me permission to run this Letter.  Find it below unedited.

As a City resident - I would implore Williams Lake City Council to 'pull back from the brink' on this file and actively engage the folks at Big Lake, Horsefly and Miocene before we do some permanent damage to our relationship with our rural neighbours living out at Big Lake, Miocene and Horsefly

I believe the letter speaks for itself:

Clearcut Boitanio Park!....... Now that I have your attention, I would like to describe what is really on my mind ( certainly not logging Boitanio Park ). I am advocating for everyone on the Likely and Horsefly Roads to boycott all businesses in Williams Lake. Why, You might ask? I will tell you why. Your city council is trying to take control of our forested area between Big Lake, Horsefly and Miocene against our protests. I am a community member of Big Lake. Big lake is a community to the north east of Williams Lake. Big lake has its own elementary school, community hall, fire hall, cemetery and community owned heritage site. Big Lake is unincorporated, meaning that our school is the only asset in our community funded by taxes on property. The rest of our assets are funded by the hard work of volunteers in our community. Horsefly and Rose Lake, Miocene are similar except for a lack of a school in the Rose Lake , Miocene community.

Williams Lake City Council has applied for a Community Forest. Sounds like a great idea. Until you realize that the forest that they have applied for surrounds my community!! It also infringes on Horsefly and Rose Lake, Miocene. Why does it not surround the community of Williams Lake or its partner the Williams Lake Indian Band? You, as business owners and community members of Williams Lake should be asking your city council. The city of Williams Lake already benefits from 99 % of all harvested timber from our area being processed in the 4 major mills in Williams Lake, as well as all of the outlying communities spending their hard earned dollars in Williams Lake. The current council of Williams Lake and the Williams Lake Indian Band have submitted their application to the Regional Manager of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, without the support of my community or the support of Horsefly or Miocene.

If you are still reading this letter, you now need some background information. Your mayor in 2007 ( Scott Nelson) and city council were invited by the provincial government to apply for a community forest. I am pretty sure that Scott and that council did not envision a community forest an hour out of town ( a community forest should surround the community that applies for it). Fast forward to 2010, the current city council with Kerry Cook at the helm determines that, for various reasons, that the forest outside of Williams Lake is better suited to satisfy the need for the Williams Lake community forest. In 2011, an information session was called for at the Big Lake hall, where our community was made aware of intentions of the Williams Lake community forest. The hall was full and it was also full of animosity toward the proposal. We formed a working group, of which I am a member. Our direction was to find a way to make the proposal work for all communities affected. Big Lake, Horsefly and Miocene community representatives since that time, have had our concerns minimalized and criticized by your city council and their representatives. We have been treated in a condescending and patronizing fashion by both the city council and the Williams Lake Indian band. We have asked for a meaningful involvement in decision making and profits from our forest.

Today, Sunday the 8th of September I attended a meeting about the application at the Miocene community hall. The proponents of this application, Williams Lake city council and the Williams Lake Indian Band were both invited with plenty of notice. They refused and there was no representative of either group, indicating further disdain for meaningful discussion or discourse. No information meetings have been called for in Horsefly or Miocene by the city of Williams Lake to discuss the application. The city has refused to enter into any discussions about this proposal in these communities.

It is with great frustration that we have come to the point where I am forced to draw a line in the sand and say, No More!! Our outlying communities, Big Lake, Horsefly and Miocene need the people of Williams Lake to ask the city council why $300,000.00 has been spent on a project that is doomed to fail without my community support. Why is Williams lake not paving its streets or taking care of its other infrastructure with the $ 300, 000.00? This is why I have taken the radical step of no longer supporting Williams Lake until I see evidence of someone in Williams lake taking a stand to support the autonomy of my community and the communities of Horsefly and Miocene

I am sure, that if the community of Williams Lake wants to build trust and involvement with the Williams Lake Indian Band, you could do so without forcing yourselves into my community. How about the lake you both share or the surrounding lands and forest that you can at least see from your own community?

If the regional manager determines in favour of the proposal put forward by Williams Lake City council, you will find me in front of the logging equipment, prepared to be arrested by the RCMP( I have been a logger for 35 years ). I am sure I will be accompanied by many Big Lake, Horsefly and Miocene community members.
Kamloops and Quesnel are not that far away. They would love our patronage. As business owners and voters of Williams Lake, get involved, call city hall and demand answers. Help us to keep Williams Lake the center of the" hub" of the Cariboo.

Yours sincerely,

Bee Hooker