Dear Sir:
Flood season will soon be here, if it warms up soon and we hope that it will.
The longer the snow stays high, and the nights cold, the danger rises like the tide. Late season frost and then a spell of hot weather will bring all the water off the hills at once. And that water in the Kalum River is aimed straight at Dutch Valley.
Dutch Valley needs some material to stabilize the shores. There is $40 million worth of used concrete left from the mill we tore down. (In Burns Lake and Prince George, they burn mills. Here we tear them down, deliberately.)
There is material available. Just not in the right place. Four things are needed – trust, friendship, cooperation and realism.
Dutch Valley people don’t trust anyone, not even their friends. The regional district tries to love everyone and that can’t work. So the province won’t trust them.
The provincial government is the one who can help, and should, but they have never cooperated with anyone. Ever.
The owner of the used concrete needs to realize the people need that material. He needs to get rid of it, but not make a profit.
What needs to happen? The material is needed now. No. It was needed last week.
The owner of the material needs to be contacted by the regional district. He needs to be realistic and give the material away.
It needs to be trucked to the site. Someone has to pay the truckers. The only one with the money is the province.
The regional district has no available money and can get money only if the valley residents are willing to pay – a decision that will take 18 months, give or take a millennium.
We don’t know if the regional district has any friendship ties with the valley. That will only be determined by the vote on any proposed bylaw to raise money.
The province has to put the money up front, next week. So the province has to trust that the regional district can and will run a referendum that will approve of a bylaw by the regional district. Then the regional district can collect the money and give it back to the province.
One more time. The residents have to be friendly with the regional district and trust them.
The regional district has to be friendly with the province, friendly with the residents and trust everyone and cooperate with all affected people.
The province has to cooperate with everybody now, act now and trust that everyone will pay them back.
They also have to find out where we live.
The problems seem obvious. There is no trust. The valley does not trust anyone. The owner of the material needed wants his profit..
The province will not trust the regional district of cooperate with them. The regional district cannot trust anyone until the names are on a paper.
Just a suggestion. Do I think it will work? Not a chance in heaven and that’s better than a chance in that other place.
A conundrum. Me? As the Kingston Trio said in a song, “I don’t like anyone very much.”
Les Watmough, Terrace, BC
