Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:
Editor's Note -- this week's Quesnel City Council news column is written by Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson. He can be reached by email here
Last week, this Provincial election officially ended when all of the newly elected and re-elected MLAs were sworn in and the new provincial Cabinet named. The interregnum period felt unduly long this time and our inability to meet with the provincial government was particularly hard during a pandemic, therefore it’s great to be able to get back to business with the Province, especially since we have so many major projects and initiatives on the go.
As a community we fared well under the previous NDP minority government, particularly in the domains of Health, Education, Transportation, Forestry, Agriculture, and Housing. A new Junior School, major addition to the Hospital, new housing projects, major transportation safety projects, our new Food Innovation Centre, and the prospect of finally obtaining a community forest license are all a testament to the proactive and productive relationship we’ve had with the Province over the past few years.
So, it’s exciting to know that we now have a stable, majority government for the next four years and that some interesting and exciting opportunities for Quesnel and the North Cariboo are reflected in the newly appointed Cabinet, both in the individuals appointed and their mandates from the Premier.
Continuity of leadership in the Health and Agriculture Ministries is great news for Quesnel, as both Minister Dix and Minister Popham are proven champions of our community and region, as evidenced by their visits here and their Ministries investments in our region. Having the former Parliamentary Secretary for Forests appointed to Cabinet as the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, is also good news for us; Minister Kahlon is well briefed on our economic transition strategy.
Minister Fleming’s appointment to Transportation and Infrastructure is a particularly positive move for Quesnel, his decision to invest $52.2 million in our new Junior School as Minister of Education showed a huge commitment to the future of our community and he’s well aware of the game changing implications of the North-South Interconnector project for Quesnel.
The new Finance Minister was the previous Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing and was instrumental in obtaining the direct grant communities recently received for COVID-related costs and lost revenue, a very hopeful sign that Minister Robinson understands the need that all communities in BC have for access to funding over and above property taxation. Her replacement in Municipal Affairs, Minister Osborne, is the former Mayor of Tofino and a true champion for rural economic development, her appointment to a stand-alone Municipal Affairs
Ministry is a hopeful sign for all local governments in BC.
Minister Katrine Conroy’s appointment as Minister of FLNRORD is another strong positive for Quesnel, Katrine is the first woman in BC’s history to be given this critically important Ministry and she is very familiar with Quesnel and our forestry innovation initiatives. The Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Nathan Cullen, is also another person very familiar with Quesnel and our initiatives; his mandate to develop a new Ministry of Lands and Natural Resource Operations is particularly timely and important to our region.
There are other critical appointments and mandates in last week’s Cabinet announcement that are also good news for Quesnel and the North Cariboo, but the main takeaway message is that Premier Horgan has shown in his Cabinet appointments a strong commitment to rural BC that bodes well for Quesnel.
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