September, 2014
Dear Area F resident,
As we near the end of this term, I wanted to update you on several important issues affecting our communities, and the region: (in no particular order)
Budget/Town Hall meetings: This is the second year we have held town hall meetings to solicit input into the budget in the fall. This year’s meeting will be held in Likely this Saturday, Sept 6th in conjunction with the first community debrief on the Cariboo Regional District’s response to the Mount Polley mine breach. The budget portion of the meeting will be shorter and more informal than in the past, although we are still seeking your input. If you can’t attend the meeting, please call or e-mail me with your questions or input. We very much want to know your thoughts.
Mount Polley Mine Breach: Much of my time recently has been spent in meetings and conversations around the emergency response and long term recovery strategies necessitated by the breach for the community of Likely, as well as strategies to address the resulting economic uncertainties created for our entire region.
Grants for Assistance: Applications are now being accepted for Grants for Assistance. Visit our webpage for the application form and criteria. Deadline is September 30th.
150 Mile Transfer Station: Work has begun on modifications needed to the 150 Mile Transfer station in order to control this site and offer full recycling services. For more information about this initiative, and to provide your input into preferred hours of operation, please come to a meeting on September 13th at 2pm in the 150 Mile community hall.
Recreation/Sam Ketcham Memorial Pool: If you live in the recreation taxation area (WL fringe, 150 Mile House), this affects you.
o There will be a referendum on November 15 to determine if residents are in favour of borrowing up to $10 million to replace the existing pool tank, add a leisure pool, and renovate the building (Total project cost $11.3 million) This is the option proposed by the pool task force, and overwhelmingly supported by the public during the feasibility process. A yes vote will see your taxes increase by about $40/$100,000, and the project will be phased so that downtime will be kept to a minimum. A no vote will mean that $2 million will need to be spent to replace the existing pool tank as it is failing, and the pool would need to be closed for at least a year. A series of open houses are being held over the next few weeks to ensure the public is informed. Please make sure you attend one of these sessions. (There will be one in the 150 Mile community hall on September 13th at 1 pm in advance of the transfer station meeting, and one in the Cariboo Memorial Complex on September 11th at 4 pm.)
o I am still in support of the business plan goal to support the non-profit groups struggling to maintain infrastructure, mostly outside the City, but not entirely. Some of the projects which would benefit from this goal include the Esler soccer and ball fields, mountain bike trails, trails, ball fields, and outdoor rinks throughout the taxation area. I support this goal as I believe we must provide these services or risk losing our investments, and I think that by providing this support, we will improve the service to all of the communities who pay for recreation. Last year in budget discussions, we agreed to delay the implementation of this goal while we researched the details of the plan. Increased funding was allocated in the 5-year plan for 2015 to more fully realize this goal. I would like your feedback on this issue.
Heritage: I continued to serve as chair of the Heritage Steering Committee this year. During Stampede Week, we co-hosted a second heritage speaker event with the City of Williams Lake Heritage Committee to a packed house at the museum! We distributed over 4000 copies of our Heritage Driving Brochure, which continues to be well received. During the year we added several sites to our Heritage Register, and to the provincial and federal registries, and we are working on several more. The members of this committee are dedicated community volunteers from throughout the Regional District.
Orange Shirt Day: Once again, I am honoured to have been assigned to the organizing committee for Orange Shirt Day, and to have been chosen as chair by the committee members. Orange Shirt Day, September 30th, has grown out of the story of one little girl’s experience of having her brand new shiny orange shirt, in which she felt pretty and special, taken away on her first day of residential school along with her self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Phyllis Webstad’s story, and her courage in sharing it, has become a catalyst for an international movement around reconciliation and raising awareness of the residential school experience and the intergenerational trauma it created. In Williams Lake, the ceremony will be held in Boitanio Park at 10 am in conjunction with the Multicultural Walk for Harmony ending in the Park in time for the ceremony . There will also be an Art of Reconciliation exhibit at the Station House Gallery during the month of September, and we are hosting a Gary Fjellgaard concert on September 27th in the Gibraltar Room. For more information, and to see what others are doing follow us on Facebook: Orange Shirt Day – Every Child Matters.
Union of BC Municipalities: This year’s convention of local governments will be held in Whistler the week of September 22nd. It is an opportunity to network with other local government officials, and to inform the provincial government about issues important to us. Phyllis and I will making an Orange Shirt presentation to a First Nations Reconciliation workshop on the first day.
Community Forest:
o The City of Williams Lake and the Williams Lake Indian Band have been successful in their application for a community forest, mostly around the communities of Big Lake, Miocene and Horsefly. Named the Williams Lake Community Forest, the new licensee has held one meeting in Big Lake, and another in town, and is now calling for nominees to the committee to advise the Board. They have promised that the majority of this committee will have direct interest into the Potato Mountain Block (the forest surrounding our communities). I encourage residents who want to ensure community values and interests are considered and sustained, to please allow yourselves to be nominated to this committee. I have written asking that they consider naming members of the working group and the Director of Area F to their committee. Visit their website for more information.
o Recently, the Likely-Xhatsull Community Forest and the Big Lake Community Association have been exploring the formation of a partnership in conjunction with the expansion of the LXCF. An initial letter has been sent to the Provincial ministries responsible, and the Cariboo Regional District Board has passed a resolution to send a letter supporting the expansion and partnership in principle. While still in its infancy, this initiative may help to address the issue of economic recovery for the region.
North Central Local Government Association: I continue to represent our Board on the Board of the NCLGA, whose members are local governments from 100 Mile House to the Alaska border. I have been assigned again to the Priorities and Planning committee. Most recently, I attended a priority-setting session in which we worked on a long-term plan to become more effective in realizing our goal of bringing northern issues to the attention of senior government. We will be presenting this plan to our members at UBCM in Whistler for approval. Visit nclga.ca for more information.
Ag Climate Action Advisory Committee: I serve on the Cariboo Agricultural Adaptation Strategies Advisory Committee, which worked on developing strategies for food producers to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the coming years. The project is organized by the BC Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative, and the province has allocated funding for implementation. The first project, co-operative maintenance of agriculturally significant dams, will roll out shortly, and has received funding commitments from the Cariboo Cattlemen and Ducks Unlimited in addition to the initial allocation. For more information, visit the website: http://www.bcagclimateaction.ca/regional/cariboo/
Mental Health: Together with Director Margo Wagner from the South Cariboo, I have been working on an initiative to bring together mental health providers and other stakeholders to address gaps in the provision of mental health services, specifically in the area of suicide prevention, in the Central and South Cariboo. Our stakeholder group has representation from some 20 organizations, now working collaboratively to improve the level of service. We were successful in obtaining a BC Healthy Communities Grant, and have hired a researcher to conduct a gap analysis, from which we can determine next steps. She will be interviewing and surveying patients and their families about their experiences within the next few weeks on a voluntary basis. If you wish to be included, please let me know and I will put you in touch. There will be a link available soon that I will send out to my contact list.
For more information, or to discuss any issues, please feel free to contact me or visit our website: www.cariboord.ca
Follow me on Facebook: Joan Sorley, Cariboo Regional District Area ‘F’ at https://www.facebook.com “like” the page and receive regular updates on local and regional issues. Please pass this along to anyone you feel would be interested, and encourage them to send me their contact info so I may add them to my distribution list.
This is the last letter I will send for this term, and I wish to express my thanks for your support during the last 4 years. Many of you have asked if I will seek another term, and I wanted to let you know that I have decided to do so. There is a lot of work in progress, and I enjoy being part of that. I value the relationships we have built together as we work to strengthen our communities and our region. It has been my privilege to serve you, and I will be honoured to continue to do so if it is your will on November 15th.
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]
Dear Area F resident,
As we near the end of this term, I wanted to update you on several important issues affecting our communities, and the region: (in no particular order)
Budget/Town Hall meetings: This is the second year we have held town hall meetings to solicit input into the budget in the fall. This year’s meeting will be held in Likely this Saturday, Sept 6th in conjunction with the first community debrief on the Cariboo Regional District’s response to the Mount Polley mine breach. The budget portion of the meeting will be shorter and more informal than in the past, although we are still seeking your input. If you can’t attend the meeting, please call or e-mail me with your questions or input. We very much want to know your thoughts.
Mount Polley Mine Breach: Much of my time recently has been spent in meetings and conversations around the emergency response and long term recovery strategies necessitated by the breach for the community of Likely, as well as strategies to address the resulting economic uncertainties created for our entire region.
Grants for Assistance: Applications are now being accepted for Grants for Assistance. Visit our webpage for the application form and criteria. Deadline is September 30th.
150 Mile Transfer Station: Work has begun on modifications needed to the 150 Mile Transfer station in order to control this site and offer full recycling services. For more information about this initiative, and to provide your input into preferred hours of operation, please come to a meeting on September 13th at 2pm in the 150 Mile community hall.
Recreation/Sam Ketcham Memorial Pool: If you live in the recreation taxation area (WL fringe, 150 Mile House), this affects you.
o There will be a referendum on November 15 to determine if residents are in favour of borrowing up to $10 million to replace the existing pool tank, add a leisure pool, and renovate the building (Total project cost $11.3 million) This is the option proposed by the pool task force, and overwhelmingly supported by the public during the feasibility process. A yes vote will see your taxes increase by about $40/$100,000, and the project will be phased so that downtime will be kept to a minimum. A no vote will mean that $2 million will need to be spent to replace the existing pool tank as it is failing, and the pool would need to be closed for at least a year. A series of open houses are being held over the next few weeks to ensure the public is informed. Please make sure you attend one of these sessions. (There will be one in the 150 Mile community hall on September 13th at 1 pm in advance of the transfer station meeting, and one in the Cariboo Memorial Complex on September 11th at 4 pm.)
o I am still in support of the business plan goal to support the non-profit groups struggling to maintain infrastructure, mostly outside the City, but not entirely. Some of the projects which would benefit from this goal include the Esler soccer and ball fields, mountain bike trails, trails, ball fields, and outdoor rinks throughout the taxation area. I support this goal as I believe we must provide these services or risk losing our investments, and I think that by providing this support, we will improve the service to all of the communities who pay for recreation. Last year in budget discussions, we agreed to delay the implementation of this goal while we researched the details of the plan. Increased funding was allocated in the 5-year plan for 2015 to more fully realize this goal. I would like your feedback on this issue.
Heritage: I continued to serve as chair of the Heritage Steering Committee this year. During Stampede Week, we co-hosted a second heritage speaker event with the City of Williams Lake Heritage Committee to a packed house at the museum! We distributed over 4000 copies of our Heritage Driving Brochure, which continues to be well received. During the year we added several sites to our Heritage Register, and to the provincial and federal registries, and we are working on several more. The members of this committee are dedicated community volunteers from throughout the Regional District.
Orange Shirt Day: Once again, I am honoured to have been assigned to the organizing committee for Orange Shirt Day, and to have been chosen as chair by the committee members. Orange Shirt Day, September 30th, has grown out of the story of one little girl’s experience of having her brand new shiny orange shirt, in which she felt pretty and special, taken away on her first day of residential school along with her self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Phyllis Webstad’s story, and her courage in sharing it, has become a catalyst for an international movement around reconciliation and raising awareness of the residential school experience and the intergenerational trauma it created. In Williams Lake, the ceremony will be held in Boitanio Park at 10 am in conjunction with the Multicultural Walk for Harmony ending in the Park in time for the ceremony . There will also be an Art of Reconciliation exhibit at the Station House Gallery during the month of September, and we are hosting a Gary Fjellgaard concert on September 27th in the Gibraltar Room. For more information, and to see what others are doing follow us on Facebook: Orange Shirt Day – Every Child Matters.
Union of BC Municipalities: This year’s convention of local governments will be held in Whistler the week of September 22nd. It is an opportunity to network with other local government officials, and to inform the provincial government about issues important to us. Phyllis and I will making an Orange Shirt presentation to a First Nations Reconciliation workshop on the first day.
Community Forest:
o The City of Williams Lake and the Williams Lake Indian Band have been successful in their application for a community forest, mostly around the communities of Big Lake, Miocene and Horsefly. Named the Williams Lake Community Forest, the new licensee has held one meeting in Big Lake, and another in town, and is now calling for nominees to the committee to advise the Board. They have promised that the majority of this committee will have direct interest into the Potato Mountain Block (the forest surrounding our communities). I encourage residents who want to ensure community values and interests are considered and sustained, to please allow yourselves to be nominated to this committee. I have written asking that they consider naming members of the working group and the Director of Area F to their committee. Visit their website for more information.
o Recently, the Likely-Xhatsull Community Forest and the Big Lake Community Association have been exploring the formation of a partnership in conjunction with the expansion of the LXCF. An initial letter has been sent to the Provincial ministries responsible, and the Cariboo Regional District Board has passed a resolution to send a letter supporting the expansion and partnership in principle. While still in its infancy, this initiative may help to address the issue of economic recovery for the region.
North Central Local Government Association: I continue to represent our Board on the Board of the NCLGA, whose members are local governments from 100 Mile House to the Alaska border. I have been assigned again to the Priorities and Planning committee. Most recently, I attended a priority-setting session in which we worked on a long-term plan to become more effective in realizing our goal of bringing northern issues to the attention of senior government. We will be presenting this plan to our members at UBCM in Whistler for approval. Visit nclga.ca for more information.
Ag Climate Action Advisory Committee: I serve on the Cariboo Agricultural Adaptation Strategies Advisory Committee, which worked on developing strategies for food producers to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the coming years. The project is organized by the BC Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative, and the province has allocated funding for implementation. The first project, co-operative maintenance of agriculturally significant dams, will roll out shortly, and has received funding commitments from the Cariboo Cattlemen and Ducks Unlimited in addition to the initial allocation. For more information, visit the website: http://www.bcagclimateaction.ca/regional/cariboo/
Mental Health: Together with Director Margo Wagner from the South Cariboo, I have been working on an initiative to bring together mental health providers and other stakeholders to address gaps in the provision of mental health services, specifically in the area of suicide prevention, in the Central and South Cariboo. Our stakeholder group has representation from some 20 organizations, now working collaboratively to improve the level of service. We were successful in obtaining a BC Healthy Communities Grant, and have hired a researcher to conduct a gap analysis, from which we can determine next steps. She will be interviewing and surveying patients and their families about their experiences within the next few weeks on a voluntary basis. If you wish to be included, please let me know and I will put you in touch. There will be a link available soon that I will send out to my contact list.
For more information, or to discuss any issues, please feel free to contact me or visit our website: www.cariboord.ca
Follow me on Facebook: Joan Sorley, Cariboo Regional District Area ‘F’ at https://www.facebook.com “like” the page and receive regular updates on local and regional issues. Please pass this along to anyone you feel would be interested, and encourage them to send me their contact info so I may add them to my distribution list.
This is the last letter I will send for this term, and I wish to express my thanks for your support during the last 4 years. Many of you have asked if I will seek another term, and I wanted to let you know that I have decided to do so. There is a lot of work in progress, and I enjoy being part of that. I value the relationships we have built together as we work to strengthen our communities and our region. It has been my privilege to serve you, and I will be honoured to continue to do so if it is your will on November 15th.
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]