December, 2016
Dear Area F resident:
As we come to the end of another year, and a little past the midway point in my current mandate, it is time once again to update you on what I’ve been up to. Firstly, I wish to express my appreciation for the support I receive wherever I go throughout the area. I take my responsibilities to represent you very seriously, and I thank you! Secondly, I wish to pay tribute to all the volunteers who work so tirelessly throughout our area for the benefit of their communities. Whether you are a member of a volunteer fire department, search and rescue, community organization, or you simply come out to work bees or help your neighbour, I salute you!! Our communities would not be the same without your efforts, and because of them, they are the best places on earth!
This year, I would like to also pay a special tribute, from the personal perspective of a Mom and Nana whose family is safely back in their homes in Fort McMurray. My heart is filled with gratitude for the selflessness and the dedication of those firefighters and first responders who got them safely out of the city on May 3, and who worked tirelessly to save their homes and their community for them to return to in June. It occurs to me as well, that all those who volunteer as firefighters or first responders in our communities, are always ready to respond to any emergency. They don’t know, when they respond to a page, exactly what they will face or when they will be back home with their families again. They train every week, and answer every call with that same selflessness and dedication, and I am truly grateful for their service, and to their families for their support which enables it.
Mount Polley
Much of my time continues to be spent in meetings and conversations around Mount Polley. 2016 saw the return to full operations using the rebuilt Tailings Storage Facility, and the issuance of the final Post Event Environmental Impact Report. A tremendous amount of work has been done, and is ongoing, to remediate and restore the habitat along and in Hazeltine Creek. Kudos to all involved in that work! The company has submitted its Technical Assessment Report in support of its proposal to continue to discharge mine contact water into Quesnel Lake. The proposal is controversial in the community of Likely, as residents appreciate the economic value of the mine, but fear for the long-term health of the lake. A decision is expected early in the New Year, and it is my hope that a compromise can be reached.
Budget
The provisional budget for 2017 contains an overall 1% increase over 2016, including new services approved by the public through an assent process (0.4%) Grants for assistance have not yet been incorporated into the provisional budget, but the Board has approved grants to the Horsefly Volunteer Fire Department and the Likely and District Chamber of Commerce, as well as some contributions to non-profit organizations serving the broader region of the Central Cariboo. The budget is posted on our website at http://www.cariboord.bc.ca/services/finance/business-plans , and hard copies will be available in our main libraries and in our offices, early in the New Year for those who wish to view it. We encourage your questions and feedback.
Cariboo Strong Initiative
In 2016, we (the Cariboo Regional District) have embarked on an economic development initiative through a partnership with the Community Development Institute from the University of Northern British Columbia. We have gathered significant funding for the project from the Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition, West Fraser and the BC Rural Dividend Fund and we have successfully gained support from all our member municipalities, the Village of Clinton and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. To date, preliminary work has begun in all three of our sub-regions and we are seeing the beginning of on-the-ground action. Stay tuned for more information early in the New Year.
NCLGA/UBCM/FCM
I continue to represent the Cariboo Regional District on the Board of the North Central Local Government Association, and I serve on the Priorities and Planning, and the Resolutions Committees. Our AGM and convention was held in Dawson Creek in May, and will be held in Terrace next May. Visit www.nclga.ca for more information.
I attended the Federation of Canadian Municipalities AGM and convention in Winnipeg in June, where our resolution to recognize Orange Shirt Day nationally was endorsed. NCLGA’s rape culture resolution was also endorsed and incorporated into FCM’s policy.
Together with local government colleagues from around the province, I attended the Union of BC Municipalities annual conference and AGM in Victoria in September. We met with Ministers Polak, Bennett and Oakes along with senior staff members to discuss Likely’s issues and concerns. We debated resolutions on issues affecting our province and our country, and we attended workshops and information sessions on a variety of important and emerging issues. We (Cariboo Regional District) put forward two resolutions, on consultation with local governments on industrial applications, and on the effect of treaty negotiations on tenure holders and other stakeholders. Both were endorsed, and have been submitted to the provincial government.
Committee Work
In addition to my position on the Board of NCLGA, I serve on the Finance and Audit Committee, I chair the First Nations Relationship Committee, and I serve as Vice-chair of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action committee. I co-chair the Joint Committee with the City of Williams Lake, and I serve on the Pool Working Group and as the liaison to the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society. I am a member of the Orange Shirt Society, and the Communities that Care Key Leaders group. Also in 2016, I participated in CMHA’s and the Tribune’s award-winning Dirty Laundry Campaign raising awareness around racism.
Noise Bylaw – Input Needed
I have had another request for the implementation of a noise bylaw, this time from a group of residents in 150 Mile House. If we were to proceed, it would apply to the whole of Area F rather than a specified community, and I would like to know that there is a general appetite for such a bylaw. If it were to be implemented, the RCMP would have the ability to issue tickets to offenders, and financial penalties would apply. Please let me know what you think. I will convene a meeting to discuss the issue early in the New Year.
For more information, or to discuss any issues, please feel free to contact me. Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-Sorley-Cariboo-Regional-District-Director-Area-F , or visit our webpage: www.cariboord.ca . It is my privilege to represent you at the Board table and elsewhere, and I thank you once again for your support. Vince and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Healthy and Successful 2017!
Sincerely,
Joan Sorley
Director, Cariboo Regional District Area "F"
PO Box 147
Big Lake Ranch, BC V0L 1G0
250-243-2261, e-mail: [email protected]
Please pass along this report to anyone you feel may be interested. If you would like to be removed from my distribution list, please let me know.
Dear Area F resident:
As we come to the end of another year, and a little past the midway point in my current mandate, it is time once again to update you on what I’ve been up to. Firstly, I wish to express my appreciation for the support I receive wherever I go throughout the area. I take my responsibilities to represent you very seriously, and I thank you! Secondly, I wish to pay tribute to all the volunteers who work so tirelessly throughout our area for the benefit of their communities. Whether you are a member of a volunteer fire department, search and rescue, community organization, or you simply come out to work bees or help your neighbour, I salute you!! Our communities would not be the same without your efforts, and because of them, they are the best places on earth!
This year, I would like to also pay a special tribute, from the personal perspective of a Mom and Nana whose family is safely back in their homes in Fort McMurray. My heart is filled with gratitude for the selflessness and the dedication of those firefighters and first responders who got them safely out of the city on May 3, and who worked tirelessly to save their homes and their community for them to return to in June. It occurs to me as well, that all those who volunteer as firefighters or first responders in our communities, are always ready to respond to any emergency. They don’t know, when they respond to a page, exactly what they will face or when they will be back home with their families again. They train every week, and answer every call with that same selflessness and dedication, and I am truly grateful for their service, and to their families for their support which enables it.
Mount Polley
Much of my time continues to be spent in meetings and conversations around Mount Polley. 2016 saw the return to full operations using the rebuilt Tailings Storage Facility, and the issuance of the final Post Event Environmental Impact Report. A tremendous amount of work has been done, and is ongoing, to remediate and restore the habitat along and in Hazeltine Creek. Kudos to all involved in that work! The company has submitted its Technical Assessment Report in support of its proposal to continue to discharge mine contact water into Quesnel Lake. The proposal is controversial in the community of Likely, as residents appreciate the economic value of the mine, but fear for the long-term health of the lake. A decision is expected early in the New Year, and it is my hope that a compromise can be reached.
Budget
The provisional budget for 2017 contains an overall 1% increase over 2016, including new services approved by the public through an assent process (0.4%) Grants for assistance have not yet been incorporated into the provisional budget, but the Board has approved grants to the Horsefly Volunteer Fire Department and the Likely and District Chamber of Commerce, as well as some contributions to non-profit organizations serving the broader region of the Central Cariboo. The budget is posted on our website at http://www.cariboord.bc.ca/services/finance/business-plans , and hard copies will be available in our main libraries and in our offices, early in the New Year for those who wish to view it. We encourage your questions and feedback.
Cariboo Strong Initiative
In 2016, we (the Cariboo Regional District) have embarked on an economic development initiative through a partnership with the Community Development Institute from the University of Northern British Columbia. We have gathered significant funding for the project from the Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition, West Fraser and the BC Rural Dividend Fund and we have successfully gained support from all our member municipalities, the Village of Clinton and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. To date, preliminary work has begun in all three of our sub-regions and we are seeing the beginning of on-the-ground action. Stay tuned for more information early in the New Year.
NCLGA/UBCM/FCM
I continue to represent the Cariboo Regional District on the Board of the North Central Local Government Association, and I serve on the Priorities and Planning, and the Resolutions Committees. Our AGM and convention was held in Dawson Creek in May, and will be held in Terrace next May. Visit www.nclga.ca for more information.
I attended the Federation of Canadian Municipalities AGM and convention in Winnipeg in June, where our resolution to recognize Orange Shirt Day nationally was endorsed. NCLGA’s rape culture resolution was also endorsed and incorporated into FCM’s policy.
Together with local government colleagues from around the province, I attended the Union of BC Municipalities annual conference and AGM in Victoria in September. We met with Ministers Polak, Bennett and Oakes along with senior staff members to discuss Likely’s issues and concerns. We debated resolutions on issues affecting our province and our country, and we attended workshops and information sessions on a variety of important and emerging issues. We (Cariboo Regional District) put forward two resolutions, on consultation with local governments on industrial applications, and on the effect of treaty negotiations on tenure holders and other stakeholders. Both were endorsed, and have been submitted to the provincial government.
Committee Work
In addition to my position on the Board of NCLGA, I serve on the Finance and Audit Committee, I chair the First Nations Relationship Committee, and I serve as Vice-chair of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action committee. I co-chair the Joint Committee with the City of Williams Lake, and I serve on the Pool Working Group and as the liaison to the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society. I am a member of the Orange Shirt Society, and the Communities that Care Key Leaders group. Also in 2016, I participated in CMHA’s and the Tribune’s award-winning Dirty Laundry Campaign raising awareness around racism.
Noise Bylaw – Input Needed
I have had another request for the implementation of a noise bylaw, this time from a group of residents in 150 Mile House. If we were to proceed, it would apply to the whole of Area F rather than a specified community, and I would like to know that there is a general appetite for such a bylaw. If it were to be implemented, the RCMP would have the ability to issue tickets to offenders, and financial penalties would apply. Please let me know what you think. I will convene a meeting to discuss the issue early in the New Year.
For more information, or to discuss any issues, please feel free to contact me. Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-Sorley-Cariboo-Regional-District-Director-Area-F , or visit our webpage: www.cariboord.ca . It is my privilege to represent you at the Board table and elsewhere, and I thank you once again for your support. Vince and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Healthy and Successful 2017!
Sincerely,
Joan Sorley
Director, Cariboo Regional District Area "F"
PO Box 147
Big Lake Ranch, BC V0L 1G0
250-243-2261, e-mail: [email protected]
Please pass along this report to anyone you feel may be interested. If you would like to be removed from my distribution list, please let me know.