News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By Jason Ryll 

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Arts Kevin Krueger made a stop in the Cariboo today.  He toured the community and spoke to a number of groups and individuals about the efforts his ministry is working on. 

(Photo:  Minister Krueger, MLA Donna Barnett & Tourism Info Centre staff)

In the morning Mr. Krueger met with a number of tourism operators at MLA Donna Barnett’s office, answering their questions and letting them know about events unfolding within the ministry.  He informed the group of the efforts being taken to help market BC to the rest of the world, and advised everyone to watch for continued marketing of the province in the months ahead.  

Later, Minister Krueger was a guest speaker at the monthly General Meeting of the Williams Lake & District Chamber of Commerce.  He spoke about the great efforts the ministry is taking to strike while the iron is hot, following on the heels of the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games.  Mr. Krueger briefly spoke about the benefits of the HST and its impact on the tourism industry, noting that it puts BC on an even playing field with other provinces in Canada which also have an HST, as do other countries around the world.  However, Mr. Krueger reminded everyone that BC has a lower tax rate than the other locations at 12%. 

The afternoon was spent taking a tour of some of the local tourism sites including the Xat’tsull Heritage Village and the Tourism Discovery Centre, where he visited with local dignitaries and the tourism counsellors at the centre.

(Photo: Williams Lake & District Chamber of Commerce 2nd Vice President Walt Cobb, MLA Donna Barnett, and Minister Krueger)

| More...