Williams Lake welcomed Premier Christy Clark last Friday, after she spoke at the North Central Local Government Association convention in 100 Mile House. We were honoured to have her in our city.
I joined her at Thompson Rivers University as she announced $1.6 million in funding for skills training in the Interior, including $600,000 for an entry-level logging truck training course in Williams Lake. Classes start this month. This is yet another example not only of partnerships, but of education and training opportunities leading to a more skilled workforce and the economic benefits that come from it. I was happy to attend the ribbon cutting at the Best Western with the premier and members of council. This development has been in the works for a while, and it’s a welcome addition to our community. The opening of the hotel, and the progress on the new Platform Properties retail building at Prosperity Ridge are signs of confidence and growth. I was at the Platform site this week, and I am excited for the store openings this summer.
The NCLGA convention is a busy but productive time. We dealt with almost 40 resolutions, including Williams Lake’s requesting the provincial and federal governments to change their infrastructure grant formulas to not require matching funds from the local governments or to consider another system that does not require cash-strapped communities to borrow funds in order to take advantage of infrastructure funding programs. Mackenzie Avenue is an example of such a situation. I also had a number of meetings with Interior Health, beetle action coalitions, and others. Lots of good discussion, and lots of work to do! Did we ever have a lot of energy and passion at council Tuesday with our three delegations: Kids Running For Kids, the Mountview Grade 7 class, and the Grade 6/7 class at Cataline with their Intergenerational Project senior buddies. These young people are our leaders of tomorrow. Our future is in great hands!
Kerry Cook is the mayor of Williams Lake.