It is Small Business Week this week, a reminder of how vital small business is to Williams Lake, the province, and the country. There are well over a million small businesses in Canada, making up over 98 per cent of all employer businesses and accounting for roughly half of Canada’s GDP. They are the lifeblood of our economy. The same is true in Williams Lake, and I would also like to recognize all of our local businesses, long time and new, for their dedication to community by supporting our local teams and organizations through the years.
South Lakeside Drive has now been paved, and only cleanup work remains on the project, which also added a pedestrian/bike lane from Hodgson Road to the Cariboo Adventist Academy. Council is proud that because of diligent strategic planning, this project could be completed without any long-term borrowing, and we’re happy to see it nearing completion.
I walked the pedestrian path on Saturday … more flexible dividing posts will be added in the coming weeks.
A big thank you to everyone for your patience while this important project was underway this summer and fall.
Council had a good discussion with Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation John Rustad recently, and we discussed a number of important topics. We shared our ongoing work on reconciliation, our recent Orange Shirt Day and our Community Forest partnership with the Williams Lake Indian Band. We also discussed continued skills training opportunities for First Nations, and our support for moving forward on Memorandums of Understandings with First Nations communities.
Please mark your calendars. A joint meeting with the Ministry of Transportation to discuss the changes on Highway 97 North near Carson Drive and affecting side streets such as Johnson, Toop, and McKinnon will be held at 7 p.m. in the Gibraltar Room on Monday, Oct. 28. I want to encourage everyone to come out to this meeting and hear the presentations and have your questions answered. Large maps are set up in the City Hall lobby so you can view this important project.