The Minister of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations should reinstate the Thompson Rivers field office in Clearwater as a district office.
That will be the gist of a letter District of Clearwater council instructed staff to write to the minister, Steve Thomson, during last Tuesday’s council meeting.
Thomson had met Mayor John Harwood during last September’s Union of BC Municipalities convention in Vancouver.
During the meeting they discussed the importance of long-term, sustainable funding for maintenance and repair work on wilderness roads, such as the Clearwater River Road and the road to the Trophy Mountain flower meadows. In a recent letter to Harwood, Thomson said he has asked his staff to explore options for an integrated solution with their counterparts in other ministries. The minister said he would raise the issue with his cabinet colleagues if needed.
Harwood and Thomson also discussed the status of the Forest Service office in Clearwater. Thomson acknowledged the mayor’s concern that too many staff had been relocated from the former Headwaters District office.
“While there is no immediate plan to reconsider staffing allocations in Clearwater, I have asked staff to examine this matter further and ensure that adequate service levels are maintained,” the forests minister wrote.
