It seems like yesterday that we were “starting” up a visitor centre in Williams Lake, however, we are now marking the 30th anniversary of the network.
This program originally was set up under the Ministry of Tourism and council members were elected from each region and were tasked with a design for a network of centres with criteria and standards. It has been an amazing program touted in other countries and we are very proud to be one of the founding members.
Hats off to all the businesses and volunteers who participated in the Business Walk in October during Small Business Month. We are inputting all the information that businesses provided and looking forward to seeing the report at the end of the month.
It seems that “Trump” trumps conversations these days both leading up to and following the election. Most people don’t have a lot of confidence in the direction the Republicans and the president elect are going in. Time will tell, however, for me it has not been a comforting feeling to see such an appalling performance from an individual who is supposed to represent one of the most powerful countries in the world.
Congratulations to our new board members and welcome back to our members with one year remaining. President elect Charlene Harrison will take over from president Angela Sommer at our November meeting. Angela will now remain on the board as our past president; our sincere thanks for all her time given and efforts on behalf of the Chamber.
Our year end is November and membership renewals will be e-mailed out in December. Our membership has risen slightly this year and that is due to the tremendous support you have given. This only strengthens our business organization and allows us to do more on behalf of business. Thank you for that support!
Urgent notice to all members that we will be starting our meeting at 11:30 a.m. with lunch and official ceremonies at 11:45 a.m. This month’s meeting will be literally jam packed with major speakers and information and we anticipate a sold out event. We do suggest you reserve your seat as soon as possible.
Our speakers are John Rustad Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation and Community Manager who will bring us up to date on his ministry’s progress. Speaking also is Claudette Gouger for the New Gold Blackwater Project. The project is a proposed open pit gold and silver mine located approximately 110 km southwest of Vanderhoof. Claudette will provide an introduction to and overview of the project and the economic and social impact of New Gold’s British Columbia operations.
Joining our two speakers will be MLA Cariboo Chilcotin Donna Barnett, Minister of State for Rural Economic Development and Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations. We also welcome MLA North Coralee Oakes, Minister of Small Business, Red-Tape Reduction and Minister Responsible for the Liquor Distribution Branch. Please RSVP before Monday Nov. 21 to 250-392-5025 or email visitors@telus.net.
Make sure your contact information is up to date; visit the Williams Lake & District Chamber of Commerce websites at www.williamslakechamber.com or tourismwilliamslake.com. Our websites also promote local and regional events encouraging visitors to come and play in the area and may increase their length of stay. There is no cost to list members’ events on our websites, give us a call at 250-392-5025, or e-mail visitors@telus.net.