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Wildfire concerns heard loud and clear at UBCM

Local government leaders were happy to see wildfire resolutions endorsed at last week’s Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention.
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Wildfire-related resolutions from the Cariboo region were endorsed at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention, including a joint one from the City and CRD calling for regulations to ensure fire mitigation strategies prioritize public safety over forest management initiatives. Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

The City and Cariboo Regional District’s wildfire concerns did not fall on deaf ears at last week’s Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention, local leaders said.

“In our meetings with ministers they seemed very engaging and sympathetic to the issues we experienced this summer,” Cariboo Regional District chair Al Richmond said. “We are probably going to look for some time in November if we can get everything organized for them to come and meet with us in Williams Lake.”

Three resolutions regarding wildfire recovery, response and mitigation submitted by the region were endorsed by delegates at the convention.

A resolution from the City of Williams Lake requesting a $1-billion recovery fund for B.C. communities hit by this year’s wildfires was endorsed.

City Coun. Scott Nelson, who penned the resolution, said the vote for it was almost unanimous.

The CRD’s resolution that the B.C. Wildfire Service be urged to find ways to work with ranchers who have equipment and local expertise was also endorsed.

“They need to find a better way to have the firefighters working with the ranchers because they know the territory and they have the equipment and are often first on a fire,” CRD chair Al Richmond said of the rationale behind the resolution. “We have been saying to the ministry that they have to find a better way to engage with local people when these fires hit.”

Richmond said often the knowledge of local people is better and there is an opportunity when the equipment is there that should be utilized.

“In some cases, firefighters and local people worked well together this summer, in other areas they didn’t,” Richmond said.

“It depended on the individuals.”

A joint resolution from the City and the CRD calling for regulations to ensure fire mitigation strategies prioritize public safety over forest management initiatives was also endorsed, Mayor Walt Cobb said.

“I had submitted that resolution at the last minute before the convention to say that safety should have a priority over mule deer winter range or old growth management,” Cobb said.

“There was one person that got up and spoke against it, but no one else did. I was standing in line to speak in favour of it but I didn’t need to because they called the vote and it was endorsed.”

Coun. Ivan Bonnell said he is confident that two grant applications for community forest and wildfire urban interface funding from the Fraser Basin Council and the Community Forest will both be approved.

“We raised the need for that during our meetings at UBCM,” Bonnell said.

Cobb said there was also quite a bit of discussion about marijuana legalization, he added.

“The province is asking for input on what we want as municipalities and how we see that we can deal with it,” Cobb said.

“It is hard for us to know what the rules will be, but we have started to discuss what bylaws and things we will have to put in place. But until we know what the government is going to do it is not useful for us to go through a lot of work.”

Nelson said he left UBCM feeling excited and energized.

“There was a refreshing and positive attitude from the government asking what can they do to help rural British Columbia,” Nelson said. “I think Premier Horgan is trying to go overboard to ensure rural B.C. is looked after.”



Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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