Thoughts on BC Politics and More

  B.C.’s small rural communities striving for water security as droughts become the norm still sink or swim without much assistance from the province, policy experts say.    Most of the province has been in the clutches of unprecedented — but long anticipated — climate-induced drought for most of the summer. About 55 per cent of B.C.'s water basins are at Level 5 on the provincial drought scale — the point when adverse socioeconomic or ecosystem impacts are almost certain.    Vancouver Island, renowned for its rainforests, has experienced prolonged severe or extreme drought for the past three summers. In an effort to preserve water for people, fish, livestock and growing food on central Vancouver Island, the province has imposed temporary water restrictions in watersheds for the Tsolum River and Koksilah and Cowichan rivers. Industrial water users and farmers growing water-intensive forage crops have had to shut off their taps. It has also imposed simi...

A couple of days ago I noticed that Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb had shared a poster for an event taking place in the community ... it was being held by a group called #TheNorthMatters. Apparently, according to Walt, the group started mainly due to Cariboo protection in the north that is closing mills, and has grown to include a list of things that are not happening that should.  As a former MLA, business owner, and now Mayor of the community of Williams Lake, Walt is well aware of land use issues that threaten interior communities and rural and northern BC. “ Land use and access issues have become a huge topic here, as the treaty process progresses with no consultation with local government or regional districts ”, he told me. Mayor Cobb then continued, “ They are all sworn to secrecy.  We are tired of out of province or out of country telling us how to do things ”. Here though, are the words of the organizers of #TheNorthMatters...