#CaribooRD South Cariboo Wildfire Update - July 20th, 2021

Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District:

Video version of this update can be viewed here

Cariboo Regional District Chair Margo Wagner, District of 100 Mile House Mayor Mitch Campsall, and Kyle Young, Information Officer for the BC Wildfire Service gathered today to provide a brief update on the current wildfire situation in the Cariboo region, with a focus on 100 Mile House and the surrounding area. 

CRD Chair urges everyone to be prepared and ready

“I want those of you on evacuation order to know that we are making every effort to secure your home and property until your safe return. And we will continue to assist you however we can until that time has come.” stated CRD Chair Margo Wager.  “For everyone else, be prepared and be ready. If you receive an evacuation order… stay calm, secure your home and get going. By evacuating when ordered, it allows responders to focus on protecting natural and human-made assets from further loss.”

100 Mile House working hard to maintain local shopping and business access

District of 100 Mile Mayor Mitch Campsall said “I want the people of 100 Mile House and our surrounding neighbours to know that we are working as hard as we can to keep you safe here at home, so you can continue to shop, work, and live in our community. We hope for the best, but are preparing for every possible outcome.”

BC Wildfire Service sees progress on Flat Lake wildfire
Kyle Young of the BC Wildfire Service provided a brief update on wildfire fighting efforts in the South Cariboo, “The Flat Lake wildfire is active but the crews are making progress. “There hasn’t been a lot of growth on the northeast flank closest to 100 Mile House.  We want to ensure the safety of everyone before the evacuation orders and alerts are rescinded.”

What to do if you are evacuated.
The following are some key points and reminders for those who receive an evacuation order:

• Stay calm, secure your home – avoiding panic will avoid traffic issues and delays
• Follow the evacuation route and instructions on your official evacuation order
• Register at the Emergency Support Services (ESS) Centre location named on your official evacuation order.  Residents can pre-register at ess.gov.bc.ca

We recognize that being on an evacuation order and out of you home can be stressful.  Please remember that there is a hard working team that is doing their best to get you home as soon as it is safe to do.

It is also important to remember that preparedness starts at home. For more information about what do when you are evacuation alert or order or how to be prepared visit www.cariboord.ca or contact the public information line at 1-866-759-4977. 

Residents are also strongly encouraged to register for the Emergency Notification System at www.cariboord.ca/CRDEmergsignup to be notified when your property is put on evacuation order or alert and when those orders or alerts are lifted.  If you are all ready registered, you are encouraged to login and make sure all you information is up to date and you have confirmed your address point is correct.

Debate amongst 100 Mile Mayoralty Candidates on Economy

From the Rush:

Maureen Pinkney:

100 Mile Mayoral candidate Maureen Pinkney says she’s running because the District needs more energy injected into Council to get some things happening in town.

Pinkney says 100 Mile needs more economic diversification to create the jobs to bring young families to the area and keep them.

She says we need to do more a lot more exploring on what other avenues are available here as far as business and industry.

Pinkney says 100 Mile is staying the same and going backwards in the number of retail stores and other things that used to be here, while other communities are moving ahead even in tough economic times.

She says we need to see what’s out there and capture it and that’s not really being done right now.

Pinkney mentions a pellet plant, a dog food production facility, or ship building contracts as possibilities for new industries.

In response, current 100 Mile Mayor Mitch Campsall says:

Campsall says they are searching for opportunities in those areas already. He says they are trying to attract young people to the community, but the bad economy is a tough reality. He says they’re looking in to anything and everything.

To that end, Campsall says there are some possibilities, but with the economy in its current state, many industries like Pellet Plants or Bio-Energy, aren’t viable.

Campsall says the focus is on trying to maintain the jobs and industries that we have. He says that while Quesnel and Williams Lake have lost Saw Mills, 100 Mile hasn’t.

He says despite the economic dive over the last number of years, we’re still going well – he looks at a tax increase of 0% this year as an example.

Campsall says economic development is actually the mandate of the Chamber of Commerce, but he’s says Council would certainly be willing to partner with them given a good working strategy.

WL News...Oct 13th edition

1) Richard Vollo runs for WL Council  - see here and here
2) Local teachers say - Local issues require local decision making - see here
3) WL Mayor Kerry Cook clarifies intent of False Alarm Bylaw - see here

Editor's Note - curious as to why Mayor Cook felt the need to remove the alarm keyholder requirement without it returning to WL Council for a formal decision, as it was part of the False Alarm Bylaw passed on Nov 23rd, 2010. Just asking...


4) Kerry Cook kicks off her re-election bid last Thursday with her supporters - see here
5) Now, Tribune columnist (and local musician) Dean Fulton says the alarm registration fees are a "cash grab" - see here
6) Local resident Micheal Atwood (and Kerry Cook supporter) argues why Scott Nelson should not be Mayor of Williams Lake once again - see here

Meanwhile, in Quesnel:

1) Mary Sjostrom says: Bring On the Quesnel Mayor's Race...but keep it clean - see here
2) On Tuesday, Oct 4th - Quesnel and Community Economic Development announced that it had won the Economic Development Association of Canada marketing award for best interactive media - see more details here

Finally...

A review of the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) October 6th minutes indicates that Williams Lake Mayor/CRD Director Kerry Cook was absent from this meeting.  While this is not unusual - the fact that she and both of the City's 2 Alternate Directors' - Sue Zacharias/Surinderpal Rathor was unusual, given the CRD Board meeting was in Williams Lake.  This, in spite of the fact Mayor Cook did say at the Sept 15th CRD Committee of  the Whole that the CRD Board Agenda needed to change in order to accomodate her schedule.  Note - her fellow Mayors' (Mary Sjostrom from Quesnel, Jay Vermette from Wells, and Mitch Campsall from 100 Mile House) were in attendance for this meeting

100 Mile Election News...

Civicinfo BC reports that both Mitch Campsall (current 100 Mile Mayor) and Maureen Pinkney (100 Mile Mayoralty candidate) have filed their nomination papers

Also - former District of 100 Mile House Councillor Spence Henderson and 100 Mile resident Ralph Fossum have filed papers seeking election to 100 Mile Council

SBF

100 Mile Council Election News...

In the 100 Mile Free Press - they report that Mayor Mitch Campsall and Councillors Bill Hadden & Dave Mingo will all seek re-election while Councillors Jeanne Best and Mel Torgersen will not

See here

Note - Mitch Campsall's opponent for the Mayor seat (and likely the only one) is former CRD Area 'L' Director Maureen Pinkney.  No word on challengers for both Councillor Best/Torgersen's seats'