We need resources now !
That’s the message the North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee is sending to the province when it comes to recovery efforts from the wildfires in the region.
The sub-regional body is calling on a sub-regional approach by supporting the City of Quesnel’s request for funding from Emergency Management BC for a Recovery Coordinator for 12 months.
100 Mile House, Williams Lake and Wells have or will make a similar request and the Cariboo Regional District has already received funding for this position.
The latest suggestion from EMBC is to monitor the work of the CRD position before responding to the City’s request.
But the committee, including City Councillor Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, says businesses can’t afford to wait…
“As community leaders in our own backyard we kind of know what’s going on, we’ve got people taking to us, we can give them a lot of this information so ya resources are needed now, not 6, 8 10 weeks from now.”
Councillor Ed Coleman felt that the request should be for at least 24 months as he says some businesses have told him that the fire will impact them for 5 or 6 years.
He feels continuity is needed by having the same person be there for a couple of years.
The key focus of the Recovery Coordinator would include collecting data to determine the economic impacts of the wildfires in the North Cariboo, to help develop an appropriate recovery plan and to work with local politicians to lobby the Provincial Government.