With the Legislature in session in Victoria once again, I do not get to spend as much time in the Cariboo as I would like to.
However, even on the days when I am not physically present in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, my thoughts are more often than not focused on the people back home.
Every day I work hard to improve the lives of my constituents, and spend my time thinking about the issues that are impacting your lives and the steps government should be taking to address them.
Last week, as temperatures plummeted to a balmy -26 degrees in the Cariboo, I couldn’t stop thinking about our many ranchers, braving the weather and sometimes spending all night in their barns and caring for their herds as calving season begins.
Ranching is an integral part of life in our region. It sustains our communities, is an important part of the local economy, and provides food for our province.
Often, and particularly under the current government, ranchers do not get the recognition and support they need and deserve.
With the start of calving season, thousands of ranchers across the province are up all hours of the night, checking on their herds, assisting in delivery, and caring for the new calves.
The current weather makes their job even more difficult, requiring constant plowing of driveways, maintaining extra bedding for new calves, and monitoring to ensure that water troughs don’t freeze up in these sub-zero temperatures.
Farming families make countless sacrifices like these every day. They pour time, money and energy into sustaining their operations, which in turn, enhance food security in our province. This week, I want to extend a special thank you to them for their tireless work.
I am beyond proud of our ranchers and everything they do to invest in our community.
READ MORE: COLUMN: Some deeper history of the ranching culture
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