The staff of the Campbell River Mirror would like to wish our readers and advertisers a very Happy New Year.
May 2014 be your best year ever. We are all fortunate to live, work and do business in this wonderful region. From Black Creek to Sayward and from Buttle Lake to Cortes Island, this truly is a grand place to be.
Jan. 1 is always an opportunity to take stock of what we have, where we are and what we’ve achieved. The Campbell River area continues to emerge from an economic downturn but we’ve survived it well.
The region is changing because of the loss of the Elk Falls pulp mill. It means we’ve had to redefine ourselves. We’ve had to tighten our belt a little, some people feel that perhaps we haven’t tightened it enough but it can’t be denied that we’ve had to change.
The debate is always over, have we changed enough. And that’s the beauty of living in a democratic society, we can debate the issues, advocate on behalf of what we think is best and as long as it is done respectfully and peacefully, there can be no complaint.
The year ahead will see two big projects get underway as the John Hart Dam retrofit begins and the new Campbell River hospital work begins. It promises to be an exciting year.
The economic boost those two massive projects bring cannot be underestimated.
The region has been watching the preliminary work for these two projects play out over the last year or two and this year we will see significant movement forward.
Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch, of course, we still need to move cautiously, plan accordingly and be patient as the economic tide turns in our favour.
Meanwhile, we hope we all appreciate our good fortune and resolve to make this coming year a prosperous one for the whole region.
Happy New Year everyone.
