Alex Bracewell is in a three-way fight for his seat as Area J director.
The three-term Cariboo Regional District director says he’s running again for the seat as he’s lived in the Chilcotin, enjoys representing the people and wants to stand up for their rights.
Bracewell says he spends much of his time as a director limiting board-imposed policies and procedures on Area J residents.
“The common sense ones (policies) I’m into,” he says, adding his goal is to keep taxes low while maintaining and improving services.
Recycling is an area of concern for Area J residents, Bracewell says, and there needs to be opportunities to access recycling facilities.
“The communities, they want to see more recycling opportunities straight across the board,” he says. A rationale for that is taking volume out of the refuse site, extending the site’s life, and saving money, Bracewell reasons.
He would like to have environmental disposal fees collected by certain businesses reinvested in the community to facilitate better recycling.
Improvements to the Anahim Lake Airport to a point where it can handle scheduled flights is another of Bracewell’s goals.
There are moves in that direction — a sweeper for runway maintenance has been purchased and there are plans for a runway extension and an improved terminal.
Bracewell says another item he’s been working on is establishing a regular medical bus that would bring residents from the Chilcotin in for appointments in town or to meet the Interior Health bus that takes residents to appointments in larger centres like Kamloops and Prince George. In addition, Bracewell says he would like to see medical clinics in the Chilcotin regularly staffed with doctors to administer care in communities and minimizing the need for travel. “We support the opportunity for medical attention and collectively try to enhance opportunities for elderly people to decrease travelling time and increase opportunity at the clinics.”