In what she described as an “absolutely flurry” of communications, Mayor Ange Qualizza has been elected as third vice president in the Union of BC Municipalities (UCBM) 2020-2021 executive during the virtual 2020 UBCM conference.
Qualizza was elected in a run-off election following a tie in the first round of voting.
“Covid-19 is going to be the largest disrupter to our local economies we have ever experienced, and UBCM has an excellent relationship with the provincial government,” she said.
“I hope that I can lend my skills to advocate for continued commitment from the province on the economic recovery package and rebuilding strategy that will see investment come to communities like Fernie.”
Qualizza said that her positions held on various external boards had proven invaluable to Fernie, and her new position as third vice president was no exception.
“As chair of the Resort Communities the fourteen of us rolled up our sleeves, wrote and presented a 200-million dollar rebuilding strategy that includes creating a funding steam that focuses on infrastructure investment to help communities like Fernie address; livability challenges, work force housing issues and supports our environmental commitments.
“This was met with success, and Minister Beare before the election was announced, met for the first time with 33 communities that all serve the tourism industry and introduced a funding stream that was designed to support us to strengthen our communities.
“This was a great result from our shared advocacy, and I hope that my role as 3rd VP for UBCM can bring more investment back to rural BC.”
READ MORE: New affordable homes coming to Fernie
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