With spring just beginning here in the Cariboo, I am reminded of how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area. It’s calving season for our local ranchers, and this just adds to the feeling of renewal that spring brings with it.
Life here in the Cariboo is really quite amazing. That’s why tourists come from around the world to hike our nature trails, fish in our rivers and lakes, or relax at the spa. It’s also a great place for going horseback riding, skiing, shopping, or taking in culture and the arts.
The Cariboo is a great place to visit and an even better place to live. Whether they work in farming, ranching, forestry, mining, or many of the other industries that thrive here in our region, the hard-working people of the Cariboo never cease to amaze me.
The great thing is, life in our region is only getting better. The recently announced Cariboo-Chilcotin Skills Training Program at Thompson Rivers University in Williams Lake will give skills training to 300 people thanks to a $1 million investment by our provincial government. The improvements the Ministry of Transportation is making to highway 20 will make our roads safer and more convenient for industry, tourists, and local residents. The new DriveABLE service in Williams Lake means seniors don’t have to travel long distances to complete driving assessments. Government grants are supporting organizations like Cariboo Search and Rescue, immigrant and multicultural organizations, arts and literacy groups, and much more. I hope we will soon be able to add the New Prosperity Mine to that list, a project that has the potential to truly live up to its name by bringing many jobs and economic opportunities to the Cariboo.
With an election around the corner, I can only hope things will continue to improve the way they have been recently; if they do, this beautiful spring is sure to give way to a spectacular summer here in the Cariboo.
Donna Barnett is the Liberal MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin.