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Three-way race in Area D

A three-way race for Cariboo Regional District Area D is underway.

A three-way race for Cariboo Regional District Area D is underway.

Candidates Pennie Daffurn and Blaine Wiggins are newcomers to the political scene, while Steve Forseth has run for city council previously and has served as an alternate director for the CRD.

Daffurn said she’s grown to love the Cariboo and has reached a time in her life when she wants to give back to the community.

“I hope to be the catalyst that brings people together and inspires them to be creative in working together to solve common issues,” Daffurn said in a written statement.

She cited fire protection for McLeese Lake, the need for recreation being balanced with private property, and low voter turnout at town hall meetings as main areas of concern.

“I don’t propose to solve the above issues or any other all by myself,” she said. “However, I know that once you get a group of people together it’s amazing how creative they can be.”

Wiggins moved to Tyee Lake two and a half years ago, after living in the Eastern Arctic and other areas of B.C.

Presently he is the district manager for BC Ambulance in Williams Lake and said his career in emergency services has seen him working with city councils, regional districts, MLAs, MPs and several boards, including recently the Justice Institute Committee.

He’s running for the CRD because many people have approached him and asked him if he would.

So far residents have raised concerns about changes to the hours at the Wildwood waste management station and the pool referendum.

“A lot of rural residents don’t access the recreation services but are taxed to improve them,” he added.

Wiggins said he has had many positive interactions with the CRD both as a citizen and through his work, often interacting with rural emergency service departments.

“Regional districts can provide a bigger voice than one individual knocking on govt’s door,” he added.

Forseth was the first person in the Cariboo to announce his intention to run for local government.

“When Deb Bischoff announced last fall that she wasn’t seeking re-election, several residents approached me at a meeting in McLeese Lake and asked if I would consider running,” Forseth said during an interview with the Tribune in June.

Forseth said his involvement with the CRD has made him decide that’s where he wants to put his energies.

In a statement this week Forseth said he is aware of various initiatives that the current Area D Director has been working on and  would like to continue on with some of them including the McLeese Lake Fire Department, McLeese Lake Library, Training Site at Wildwood Fire Department, renovated Cariboo Memorial Hospital, and possible transit service between Soda Creek to Williams Lake.

Area D covers McLeese Lake, Wildwood, Pine Valley, Commodore Heights and Fox Mountain, serving around 3,000 people.



Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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