A new Quesnel City Council was sworn in last night.
Tony Goulet, Mitch Vik and Martin Runge were the newcomers joining incumbents Ron Paull, Laurey-Anne Roodenburg and Scott Elliott.
Mayor Bob Simpson, acclaimed this time around, took the oath and also delivered his inaugural address.
And it included some big plans over the next four years in shifting from transition to what he called transformation…
“This new Council has the exciting opportunity to truly transform Quesnel into a fun, modern, destination community that takes full advantage of its natural surroundings to attract repeat visitors, residents, and job creating investment.”
Simpson also went into specific projects he would like to see done over the next four years.
-build on the success of the Reid Street project and the investment in the Arena precinct by creating and acting on a vision for the development of the City’s riverfronts.
-continue to work with the Lhtako Dene Nation on the development of a new First Nations Cultural Centre at Ceal Tingley Park
-work with the provincial government to ensure the proposed interconnector is approved and work begins on the project, so we can reclaim the City’s entire downtown for residents and visitors to more fully enjoy.
-work with the province and Northern Health to realize the proposed new ICU and Emergency Development addition to GR Baker Memorial Hospital and to continue to see improvements in all of our schools.
-work with BC Housing, not for profit housing agencies, and private developers to create and implement a comprehensive housing strategy
-and work with the provincial government and our local forest sector to begin to see the reinvention of our traditional industry and to collaborate on the rehabilitation of the forest land base we’ve depended on for so long.