Rural Advisory Council Members appointed

Courtesy of the BC Government:

Members of the Province’s new Rural Advisory Council were announced today by Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson and Parliamentary Secretary Donna Barnett.

The 14 individuals come from different areas of the province. The mandate of the council is to provide input to government policy decisions to best support thriving rural communities, while keeping in mind government’s need to control spending and ensure an overall balanced budget for the Province.

The initial focus for the council will be to provide advice on rural economic development, including rural access to capital and business development support for rural entrepreneurs and businesses. The council will also advise on rural community capacity building, including the Rural Dividend.

Members are expected to meet on a quarterly basis, with the first meeting being held March 26-27, 2015, in Victoria. The council will be chaired by Parliamentary Secretary Donna Barnett, with a co-chair to be selected at the first meeting.

In September 2014, government released its report entitled Supporting Rural Development: Creating a Voice for Rural British Columbia. In the report, the Province committed to forming a Rural Advisory Council.

Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson says:

“There are promising economic opportunities on the horizon for British Columbia and we want to ensure that small and rural communities share fully in the benefits.”

Meanwhile the Rural Advisory Council Chair and Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett says:

“We have accomplished good things for small communities - and rural B.C. - by working together. There is a lot to be said in favour of taking a collaborative approach, and the Rural Advisory Council will be helpful in that endeavour.”


The below listed Rural Advisory Council members (14) were selected among a pool of 87 applicants:

1) Debra Arnot, Cache Creek
2) Susan Clovechok, Fairmont Hot Springs
3) Geri Collins, Kamloops
4) Tom Hoffman, Williams Lake
5) Bill Holmberg, Houston
6) Chief Roy Jones Jr., Skidegate
7) Sue Kenny, Dawson Creek
8) Jonathan Lok, Port McNeill
9) Grace McGregor, Christina Lake
10) David Pernarowski, Terrace
11) Chris Pieper, Armstrong
12) Sylvia Pranger, Agassiz
13) Gerry Thiessen, Vanderhoof
14) Eric (Rick) Thompson, McBride

Full background on the 14 Rural Advisory Council members may be viewed here