The 59th North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA) AGM and convention in Fort St. John held May 14-16 went off like clockwork, says District of 100 Mile House Mayor Mitch Campsall.
“All the resolutions were accepted and passed. There wasn’t one that got denied.”
Campsall says he has never seen that happen before at the NCLGA conference, but he credits the calibre of the resolutions put forward in gaining such total acceptance.
“They are better written, but they are also better quality. They are making resolutions that are really important to the whole North. I think that’s what it’s all about.”
There are two people on the new board from the Cariboo – Area F (Horsefly- Likely-150 Mile House) Director Joan Sorely as the Cariboo Regional District representative, and Quesnel Councillor Laurey-Anne Roodenburg as director at large, he adds.
Campsall stepped down after completing the requisite six or so years on the board, most recently serving as its past president.
“It was a really good experience. I got to work with and meet a lot of people in the different sectors [and] government officials, and a great working group that I was very lucky to work with.”
Regarding the AGM, he notes there was a lot of focus on a resolution asking for a solution to handle the province’s recent decision to kill the BC Ferries Route 40 sailing to Bella Coola.
“It’s going to be a huge hit to the tourism, even in our own area.”
Another key point of discussion revolved around the brown fields within municipalities and regional districts, he adds.
Campsall explains the fuel companies shirk responsibility and save money by leaving contaminated soils to local governments to take on the cleanup of the old fuel storage sites, such as former gas stations.
That resolution seeks corporate accountability for leaked fuel and the soil removal work, he notes.
“The people who created the issue need to make sure that they clean it … so that oil companies will definitely, 100 per cent be responsible.”
Campsall says another cost being downloaded to local government was the subject of another resolution.
First responders in the province are currently putting in much of the time and effort to treat injured individuals, yet are volunteers, he explains.
“Especially in the North, they are taking the place of ambulance [paramedics] because they don’t have enough of those to cover. The oil fields are taking [almost] all of the ambulances.
“Mind you, to restaff all the ambulances is not a very simple issue.”
Among the other successful resolutions was to lobby for $10 subsidized day care, which many other provinces already have in place, Campsall says.
“People are not returning to the workforce because it’s [up to] $50-$70 a day here for day care.”
Noting this hurts businesses and communities, he explains the subsidy quickly pays for itself in the income taxes and fees netted by governments from workers.
In peripheral activities offered at the conference, Campsall enjoyed field trips to local industry.
“One of the good things we did was go on a tour of the oil rigs, one of the camps, and a couple of the liquefied natural gas [plants].”
The mayor adds it was “a shock” to learn that natural gas drilling goes as deep as four miles into the earth before redirecting to a horizontal tunnel.
The huge size and complexities of these resource facilities were “amazing,” Campsall says.
“It was quite interesting … it’s not even close to what you see on TV.”
