Council thanked the 2023/2024 Outgoing Ambassadors Jamie-Lynn Fedoruk and Avery Cassidy and welcomed the 2024/2025 Incoming Ambassadors Lacey Anderson and Jayla Wheeler.
TorchLight Bioresources was asked to Identify a low-carbon, very low-cost heat source of sufficient capacity to heat downtown Quesnel.
Managing Director Jamie Stephen, PhD, advised Council that a Community-wide district heating system is feasible and can be economically competitive in Quesnel, recommending continued efforts with a focus on a new turbine at Cariboo Pulp & Paper and a downtown-wide heat network.
Coordinator Andreychuk provided Council an overview of program activities. The wages are funded through a contract with Northern Health, which have been confirmed through January 2026. In addition to providing outreach services and working closely with people who use drugs, the Coordinator is responsible for the Clean Team Program. This program provides daily clean-up in the city's high-traffic areas – schools, parks, and commercial areas.
Council approved continued partnership with Northern Health to support the Decriminalization Coordinator and the clean team until January 31, 2026, dedicating $87,600 for the operation of the clean team.
Council directed Staff to begin working with the RCMP to secure a commitment for pro-rata funding toward an expansion and upgrade of the existing Quesnel RCMP Detachment building. Space deficiencies are currently affecting the detachment's operational needs.
Additional reports and information will be provided by staff at various stages of the project as needed with the expectation that as the project proceeds there will be a need for additional design development, updated cost estimates, consideration of funding options, discussion of communication plans related to a potential referendum and other matters.
Council supports an application to the Union of BC Municipalities for the 2025 Community Resiliency Investment program for FireSmart education and outreach, home assessment and rebate program, developing a Community Wildfire Resilience Plan, and instituting a program to assist vulnerable private land owners with FireSmart activities.
Council approved entering into the 2024/2034 Community Works Fund Agreement with the Union of BC Municipalities, renewing the Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF) for 10 years resulting in over $3.5 billion in federal funding to BC for local infrastructure investments.
The Community Works Fund (CWF) is a long- standing program of the CCBF which provides each local government in BC with an annual base amount and per-capital allocation. The City has been receiving funds from this program since 2005.
CWF has, in part, funded city building improvements, bike trails, new playgrounds, road paving, the landfill berm and many more city capital projects.
Council approved entering into a five-year License of Occupation with the Quesnel Disc Golf Club for non-exclusive use of the Fuel Management Trails Property (property adjacent to airport) for the purpose of developing an 18-hole disc golf course.
In the rare event that the Mayor and two Acting Mayors are unavailable, Council approved the Mayor appointing an interim Acting Mayor to ensure continuity of city business. This is simply a safety measure during times when vacations align with seasonal natural disasters, such as freshet and wildfire season, when timeliness is imperative.
The City received a petition to install a crosswalk and crossing lights on North Fraser Drive at the bus stop. Residents noted it is dangerous for pedestrians to cross the road with the blind corner.
Council referred the request to the 2025 capital budget process for review and consideration. The budget process begins in the fall of 2024.
Council provided a resolution of support for the Association's application to the Northern Development Initiative Trust Cultural Infrastructure Program to hire an Economic Development Officer and fund programming.
Bylaw 1967 - City of Quesnel 2024-2027 Permissive Tax Exemption Amendment Bylaw 1967, 2024 - First three readings
Amendment: 100% exemption to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #94 for the foreshore at Legion Beach, where the accessible dock is located.
The 50th Annual Tillicum Society and 1st Annual Lhtako Dene PowWow has been postponed to August 30 - September 2, due to the wildfire activity in our area.
Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District's Emergency Operations Centre:
The Cariboo Regional District has issued an evacuation order for the Chilcotin River Landslide area, which includes the Farwell Canyon Road bridge over the Chilcotin River.
Due to immediate danger due to flooding caused by a landslide, members of the RCMP or other groups will be expediting the evacuation order. The evacuation route is north to Highway 20 and then east into Williams Lake. Anyone evacuated from their primary residence should call 1-250-267-4861 to access Emergency Support Services.
Interactive map: www.cariboord.ca/EOCorderalerts
Please visit the Cariboo Regional District website and online searchable map for more details or call 1-866-759-4977, which is open 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Quesnel City Manager (CAO) Byron Johnson will resign from his position at the end of September 2024, after serving our community for a combined 18 years, including his initial role as the Director of Finance and Administration. Byron has accepted a position with the District of Clearwater.
“It has been a privilege to serve Quesnel,” said Johnson. “Quesnel has been a great community to live and work in. The City has a really strong team of elected officials, staff, and volunteers. I have really enjoyed my years of service.”
The City Council will now begin the process of recruiting a new City Manager.
From the Cariboo Regional District's Emergency Operations Centre:
Yesterday -- Evacuation Alerts were rescinded for the following areas:
Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District's Emergency Operations Centre:
The Evacuation Alert issued July 24 at 8:30 p.m. for the Moose Valley Fire Area has been lifted by the Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) as well as the evacuation order in the Moose Valley Fire Area issued on July 24 at 7:30 p.m. is being downgraded to an Evacuation Alert"
Full background: https://www.cariboord.ca/en/emergency-and-protective-services/evacuation-orders-alerts-current.aspx
From Government of BC:
Local Governments' in the Cariboo-Chilcotin are congratulated for adopting small-scale multi-unit housing rules in their local zoning bylaws including the Cities of Quesnel/Williams Lake, District of 100 Mile House and the Cariboo Regional DistrictWilliams Lake and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.
Emergency services will be unavailable from 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23 to 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Patients can access care at 100 Mile District General Hospital in 100 Mile House, GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel, or Bella Coola General Hospital in Bella Coola during this time.
All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.
People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 9-1-1 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.
Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
The emergency department in Cariboo Memorial Hospital is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Due to a diminished risk of danger to life safety and property, the City of Williams Lake is lifting the evacuation alert that was put in place on Sunday evening, July 21, in response to a wildfire in the Williams Lake River Valley.
The following locations are no longer under evacuation alert:
Following significant progress suppressing the fire on Monday morning, July 22, by the Williams Lake Fire Department, BC Wildfire Service crews, and assisting crews, BCWS downgraded the category of the fire from ‘out of control’ to ‘held’ on Tuesday morning, July 23.
Today, the City reopened water access on Williams Lake for public and recreational use. Mackenzie Avenue was also reopened this morning, and flaggers will remain stationed at the River Valley entrance at Mackenzie Avenue and Comer Street.
A reminder the River Valley is an active emergency response area and is closed to public access. Smoke may continue to be visible to the surrounding areas. Please remain out of the area.
“There is a lot of work still happening down there,” said Ashley Williston, Emergency Operations Centre Deputy Director. “Crews are working on and monitoring hot spots, and we will be continuing to monitor the area moving forward, as well as starting to conduct danger, geotechnical and environmental assessments. We can’t stress this enough: people need to stay out of the River Valley as it is not safe at this time.”
The City would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the 50-plus emergency responders, as well as service organizations, assisting agencies, volunteers and local businesses who contributed to the emergency response.
The City will continue to provide updates as they become available. For up-to-date information visit www.williamslake.ca or search the City of Williams Lake on Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Williams Lake Fire Department hopes the community will help them celebrate ‘Christmas in July’ this Tuesday, July 23 when they host their annual food drive for the Salvation Army Food Bank.
While a usual Christmas in July Food Drive will see WLFD members traveling door to door collecting non-perishable food items, WLFD members are now asking residents to drop off food donations at the Salvation Army Food Bank as they are currently working to assist with the emergency response to the Williams Lake River Valley wildfire.
“Our annual Christmas in July event is such a great opportunity for the Williams Lake Fire Department to do our part to support our community,” said WLFD Fire Chief and Director of Protective Services, Evan Dean. “While the food drive may look a little different this year, we are always blown away by the generosity of Williams Lake residents and we hope this will be another amazing year."
The WLFD Christmas in July Food Drive has become an annual tradition after the department learned over a decade ago the Salvation Army Food Bank was short on food supply during the summer months.
Residents are asked to drop off donations at the Salvation Army Food Bank if they would like to participate.
“The WLFD would like to thank the entire community for all of the support we’ve received over the years for this annual event, and we would like to, again, thank the community in advance for its incredible support,” Dean said. “All donations for this event go directly to the Williams Lake Salvation Army Food Bank, so it’s nice to be able to do something so impactful for one of our local partners.”
In addition to its Christmas in July Food Drive, the WLFD is also hosting Recruitment Information Sessions on Wednesday, July 24 and Thursday, July 25, both at 7 pm at the Williams Lake Fire Hall at 230 Hodgson Road. For anyone interested, application packages and more information are available on the City’s website at https://www.williamslake.ca/989/WLFD-Firefighter-Recruitment.
For more information contact the WLFD at 250-392-4321.
From Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation:
Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation (CCR) Ltd. has been at the forefront of many initiatives to improve forest health.
One such practice showcasing its ongoing commitment to forest conservation is the implementation of brush-cutting practices – a forestry management technique that involves the removal of excess vegetation like undergrowth and small trees from a forested area.
The technique helps to enhance forest health, mitigate wildfire risk, and foster vibrant ecosystems for wildlife. Daniel Persson, silviculture superintendent with CCR, explained how brush cutting is playing a role in CCR’s efforts to rehabilitate Chilcotin’s forests. “For CCR, we prioritize the important values the forest holds for local communities and the public; social, cultural, recreational, wildlife habitat and economic. To sustain these values now and for generations, we need to manage the forest designed with these values in mind,” said Persson. Brush-cutting and spacing forested stands are essential for enhancing the diverse values forests hold.
By thinning dense stands in the Chilcotin region, specifically when they are young, CCR is attempting to increase tree growth in the retained trees as the nutrients for the site will be dispersed on fewer trees than before the treatment, thereby yielding substantial economic value for future generations while creating a more resilient stand against wildfires.
“If this thinning work doesn’t get done while stands are young, the high stem (or tree) density of the stand will impede tree growth and remain in an overly dense state with limited values and being exposed to a total loss in the event of a wildfire. The higher density stands also limit the movement and use of ungulate (hoofed mammals such as caribou, deer, elks, etc.) species,” noted Persson.
Persson further elaborated on brush cutting being like spacing out carrots in your garden: you need to remove the unhealthy, weak, and small carrots to leave room for the healthier carrots to grow. Just like carrots, when trees grow, they too compete over nutrients, water, space, and sunlight. With too many trees in an area, they end up competing over the resources and end up in a stagnant growth pattern. CCR has witnessed three notable outcomes by employing the brush-cutting practice:
1. Visual and Economic value: “Spacing the trees out can boost the growth trend back on track toward a better-looking forest and a more economical future as the trees will otherwise not get large enough to make lumber. This is especially true for large areas of densely stocked lodgepole pine stands in CCR’s operating area,” noted Persson.
2. Wildfire Risk Reduction: A crucial role brush cutting plays in maintaining forest and community health is mitigating wildfire risk. By ensuring that ladder fuels (branches and limbs) are cut, CCR reduces the risk of fires climbing up trees and igniting branches and needles. Persson highlighted, “For specific wildfire risk reduction projects, we ensure we prune smaller trees and remove fine fuels on the ground to reduce the risk of crown fires where the fire moves to the top of a tree and can more rapidly spread to others.”
3. Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Enhancement: CCR's brush-cutting initiatives also create improved habitat for wildlife. Species such as moose, deer, and caribou benefit from a more open stand structure, allowing them to move more freely without getting caught on trees and branches. “The cutting of trees also helps release feed for shorter periods of time and can boost feed availability for ungulate species during tougher winters,” added Persson.
CCR is now in the process of trying to expand its brush-cutting program so they can treat more areas. “These types of spacing treatments are crucial to do now to set the next generations up well for the future. Once the timing window to perform these treatments has passed, it will be harder to achieve the objectives of the treatment and the stand might not respond as well to it as it gets older,” said Persson. “That is why we are pushing for it now as a lot of the areas affected by the 2017 wildfire need to be spaced out, and soon!”
