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

A Recap of Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at UBCM

The Cariboo Regional District had another full day of meetings and workshops at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention being held in Vancouver.

The first meeting of the day was with the Honourable Kevin Falcon, Minister of Health Services and was attended by the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District (CCRHD) Chair, Rick Mumford, CRD Chair Al Richmond, Councillor Natalie Montoya from the City of Williams Lake and CRD staff. Three key topics on the agenda for this meeting included ambulance service to rural and remote areas, palliative care and the Phase two development of the Cariboo Memorial Hospital.

In the late morning, CRD Chair Al Richmond and staff were joined by Electoral Area E Director Steve Mazur, Mayor Mary Sjostrom (Quesnel), Mayor Kerry Cook (Williams Lake) and Mayor Jay Vermette (Wells) to meet with the Minister of Community and Rural Development, the Honourable Bill Bennett and the Parliamentary Secretary for Pine Beetle Recovery, MLA Donna Barnett. Issues addressed in this session included the possibility of funding support for the North Cariboo Multi-Centre, and the importance of interim financial support for the Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition and other Beetle groups. The group also discussed the initiatives that were set forward in the Strong Regions Grow Strong, Sustainable Communities first and second editions and that the elected leaders are committed to pursuing with senior government to ensure the Cariboo Chilcotin remains a strong and vibrant region.

The Cariboo Regional District had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Environment, the Honourable Barry Penner and the Ministry of Environment staff in two separate sessions. The meetings had been set up in order to discuss one-stop recycling, product stewardship and the 3R’s; reduce, reuse, recycle. The Regional District emphasized the importance of consultation with local governments in all matters relating to product stewardship and development of one-stop recycling depots. The ultimate goal is to create a program that is most convenient and accessible to all residents of the Cariboo Chilcotin.

“I am very pleased with the accessibility to Ministers that we were granted this year and the positive reception that our issues and concerns have received,” stated CRD Chair Al Richmond. “We were also impressed with the opportunity to meet with the Ministry of Environment staff. The time we shared with them allowed us to discuss our concerns with them in great detail.”

Meanwhile, on the resolution floor, the CRD is three for three so far. The resolutions dealing with streamlined infrastructure funding programs and local government access to the proceeds of crime both received overwhelming support from the UBCM voting members. The third CRD resolution to pass entitled Support from the British Columbia Product Stewardship Council and was part of a block of resolutions that were endorsed today. A full listing of the twelve CRD resolutions to be voted on at UBCM, and their associated backgrounders, will be available for viewing on the CRD website on Thursday, October 1, 2009.

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