Council received a presentation from Brian Groves, CEO of Spanish Mountain Gold, and the news is very exciting.
The project continues to move forward, with the economics shaping up right for the company. Capital costs of the Spanish Mountain Gold mine near Likely would be at least $500 million; up to 600 construction jobs would be created, and the mine would employ up to 300 full-time workers.
The company has already signed protocol agreements with the Williams Lake Indian Band and the Xat’sull First Nation. This project will be a very welcome addition to our regional economy.
I attended the BC Summit on Cities Fit For Children last week, and joined mayors from Penticton, Vernon, Kamloops, and Nelson discussing our communities. I spoke of the great initiatives going on in Williams Lake — our Junior Council, the Cataline/Seniors Village Intergenerational Project, our bike park, Communities That Care, and others, as well as the Success by Six program, the Rotary literacy projects in the Chilcotin, and others. If we plan our cities through the eyes of children, we create a safe, accessible community for us all.
This week, I am off to the first-ever B.C. Mayors’ Caucus with more than 85 other mayors. We all have common issues, and one is the need for more partnerships with senior levels of government for infrastructure needs. Sixty-five per cent of all public infrastructure in B.C. is owned by municipalities; everything from roads to water and sewer systems, rinks, and swimming pools. I’m excited to share ideas and solutions with mayors from around the province. Local governments have the most impact on daily life in Canada, and the better a municipality can serve residents, the better off we all are.
Kerry Cook is the mayor of Williams Lake.