37 Years Ago (1981): The Cariboo-Chilcotin Tourist Region F was represented on Fall In Love, a show sponsored by Tourism B.C. and Pacific Centre Mall in Vancouver on Sept. 24, 25, and 26. Following the theme of the Cariboo Wagon Road, managing director Kim Hodgetts from Williams Lake lead the delegation of Cariboosters to the coast to man a 50-foot booth. According to Hodgetts, gold figures highly in the theme, being the colour of fall and the reason for the Wagon Road back in the 1860s.
31 Years Ago (1987): Responses were mixed to new B.C. forest policies announced on Sept. 15, 1987, but representatives of from the forest industry were gearing up to make the necessary changes. The Ministry of Forests and Lands intended to increase its revenues by $100 million from logging and wood products manufacturing. The ministry also wanted to increase the private sector’s role in managing forests. “An increase in the timber costs is never welcomed by our industry, but looking at the bright side, it will go a long way to ensure the funds are available for forest renewal activities,” said John Marritt, president of the Cariboo Lumber Manufacturers Association at the time.
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27 Years Ago (1991): Completion of the Duffey Lake Road portion of Highway 99 provided new tourism opportunities in the area, said Pat Corbett, the Cariboo Tourist Association’s president at the time. “A new road opens up and sometimes it’s hard to envision the impact, but sometimes they open up an entire area for development and this is a glorious opportunity here for our community,” Corbett said the road completion will create significant tourism traffic linking the Whistler resort area with Banff and Jasper and that the Highway 99 and Highway 24 will be promoted as an alternative to the Trans-Canada Highway.
20 Years Ago (1998): The Black Press, Ltd., the parent company of the 100 Mile Free Press, was asked to take a stand on the Nisga’a land claims treaty. “This is the most important issue facing British Columbia for probably the next 100 years,” David Black told Cariboo editors and publishers at a meeting in Williams Lake. Black commissioned author and conditional lawyer Mel Smith to prepare eight columns on aspects of the treaty for publication in the 60 community newspapers he owns in B.C. It was the first time in 23 years Black had exercised his prerogative asking for a specific stance on an issue.
13 Years Ago (2005): School District 27 projected 200 fewer students would attend public schools in the district compared to the 2004/05 school year. Wayne Leckie, the district’s superintendent at the time, said that in the 2004/05 school year there were 250 less than in 2003/04. Enrolment numbers are finalized on Sept. 30 of each year to allow time for any moves people might be making in in September. Each year, the Ministry of Education also does an echo audit in all districts to make sure students are not enrolled in more than one district.
