Commitment:
I can commit to the time and energy that is required to be fully engaged in the requirements needed of a SLRD Director.
Using already well established relationships, I will be a strong, steady and consistent voice with elected officials, government and ministry people, and the St’at’imc Nation to support the interests and needs of the upper Bridge River Valley and its communities and neighborhoods.
I will commit to work hard at building the Bridge River Valley into a Sustainable Community in the Wilderness.
Working with the Community 2022 to 2026:
These are a number of initiatives I have been working on and want to move forward to completion:
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- The most important to me is the Official Community Plan which should be completed in the first part of 2023 and any initiatives that come from it.
- Improvements to Road 40, improvement’s to our other local roads maintenance programs.
- Getting Consumer Price Index increase funding added to the Hurley FSR maintenance contract on a yearly basis.
- Fire Smarting around our communities and neighborhoods on Crown Land.
- Local Government to have legislated input into the Forestry Cutting Permits process.
- Start the process of improvements to the Crown Granted Mineral Claims process so private property owners have more say in the process as it is lacking currently (there have been some issues related to this in the Bralorne area the past couple of years).
I will continue to work with community groups helping with funding opportunities and some that are still in progress are:
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- LaJoie Lake Ratepayers Association – Lake Environmental Remediation once all their permits are in place.
- New Rod and Gun Club location tenure application and infrastructure funding once they have the tenure approved.
- Helping with Minto Communications upgrade projects.
- Helping the Bralorne Recreation Area committee fulfill their Management Plan projects.
Work with SLRD staff on:
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- The SLRD Asset Management Improvement Project.
- Community Works Infrastructure studies and funding so we know exactly what we have and what needs to be done to get the infrastructure upgraded to today’s standards. Such as Bralorne and Gold Bridge Water systems as examples.
- Paving of Bralorne Streets.
These are just some of the initiatives I have listed, as so many changes are and will be happening in our area, such as the possibility that the Bralorne Gold Mine may start up and the major BC Hydro LaJoie Dam Infrastructure Improvement Project.
Working with the Community 2020 to 2022:
Listen and work openly, respectfully and cooperatively with the residents and property owners of SLRD Area A to meet their needs and that of the Community.
Listen and work openly, respectfully and cooperatively with the SLRD Board of Directors so that the SLRD Area A community is represented fairly at the Board of Directors meetings.
Implement an open communication program whereby residents and property owners can contact me regarding issues/concerns via various methods. I will also implement regular updates via a Webpage Blog.
Work with all of the community volunteer organizations to see what their needs are and to help them be more effective at delivering their mandates, if requested.
Look at road safety and improvements opportunities for both the Lillooet-Pioneer Road (Road 40), Hurley FSR and other roads in the area. This will be accomplished by surveying the travelling public for their issues and concerns and prioritizing achievable action plans. I will also be building relationships with the relevant ministries and contractors and establishing regular meetings with them to review the travelling public’s issues, concerns and what can be done to alleviate them.
Encourage Economic Development Improvement opportunities and partnerships to enhance what we currently have in the valley. Including but not limited to the resource, tourism and hospitality sectors, construction businesses, small businesses and home based businesses.
Look into public recreation opportunities for the valley residents, visitors and tourists such as parks and public beaches at some of the local lakes.
Research and work with the SLRD to improve the building permitting process as it is antiquated. Help it move towards a more streamlined system with regards to digital documentation, digital filing system and online payment processes.
Work with the SLRD’s Emergency Management department to see if we can partner with another Search and Rescue organization in the area. Being remote and having lots of residents with local knowledge of the area a partnership agreement would be beneficial to all concerned.
Work with the SLRD’s Emergency Management department to prioritize community interface wildfire fuel mitigation projects and secure funding for such.
Continue the relationship building with our local First Nations neighbors. We have a few groups now in the valley that have built relationships and or partnerships with our local First Nations neighbors. The BC Government has adopted the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous People and with that, I will also work with the SLRD Board of Directors to help to move towards better relationships with the St’at’imc Nation as the Bridge River Valley is in their Traditional Territory.