Yes, I know. It's been an exceptionally long time since I have written a blog post. In spite of my best intentions to post regularly, or at all, life, once again, got in the way. Sorry about that. However, as the title of this post indicates, the business of electing a new President in the US has inspired my return to this blog, however brief it may be.
I'm not going to spout invective about who I think should win, I really don't care that much. We have enough of our own problems up here with Trudeau Jr as our Prime Minister, without me getting all shirty about the Americans' choice of leader.
What I find interesting about their electoral gong-show, is what it has done to voter turnout in the US. As many of my faithful local followers know, the turnout up here for elections in Fort St John is absolutely terrible. Not even 50% of eligible voters bother to go to the polls. But last night on CTV News, I see that in this election, the number of Latino Americans voting has increased 152% from the last election. And that's just Latinos in Florida. If the video is to be believed, it seems that Americans in general are heading to the polls in droves.
Yes, that's 152%. Holy. And at a polling station in Ohio, I think it was, they said 38,000 people turned out to vote in the early polls, yesterday. Where were all those people hiding four years ago?? I'll say one thing for this whole Clinton vs Trump deal, I'm impressed with the way it has galvanized Americans to action, and brought them out to vote. I haven't enjoyed all the sniping that has gone on between the presidential candidates - really, who cares about Hillary's email? If I was an American, I'd rather hear about what they are going to do for the economy, health care and job creation, not whether or not it was a crime to be hacked. Or whatever the true story is.
Yet, in spite of the absence of clarity regarding what each of the candidates stands for, I'm impressed with the way it has made Americans realize that they can make a difference by casting their vote. The outcome may not be the best for America, but at least they're casting off their apathy and getting out there, and voting.
Wonder what would happen in Canada if we actually did the same thing? Not be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils, as our neighbours are doing, but actually care about what is going on politically. Enough to go out and vote. If we cared enough about the future of our nation to go out to the polls and exercise our right to say, "Hey, this is who I want to see lead my country. This is the guy (or gal) who can get the job done." Instead of staying home, not voting, and then spending the next four years bitching about the person who got elected.
If you don't vote, you can't complain. Clearly, there will be a lot of people south of the border tomorrow, who will be able to enjoy their right to complain, if the vote doesn't go their way. And it won't, because somebody has to lose.
Showing posts with label Fort St. John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fort St. John. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Mayoral Visionquest
Each of the three mayoral candidates has a vision of what they want Fort St. John to be, in the future, under their leadership. I've been reading through their web pages, looking for their visions.
Let's start with the newbie, the political virgin, mayoral candidate Mike Murray (www.mikemurray.ca) According to his rather lengthy, auto-biographical essay, he's been a resident of Fort St. John since 1969, and worked in a variety of capacities at different long-time local companies. If you're looking for a long-term resident to lead the city, my guess is, he would be it. His vision of Fort St. John, which I found at the bottom of the issues page, is a bit disjointed. He wants to restore trust in local government, encourage citizen involvement to create a city to be proud of, and create an environment in which people want to come to Fort St. John, and stay. Succinct, so far. But then he ends his vision with a comment about a young person who wants a go-cart track in town. Maybe it's the latent editor in me, but he should've incorporated that vision - increased youth involvement - a bit earlier in his vision statement. To me, it looks like an after-thought, and if I were a new, young voter, I might not be encouraged by the sense that the needs of young people in the community are tacked on the end as an after-thought.
However, neither of the other two mayoral candidates has mentioned the young people of our city at all, on their websites.
Councillor Don Irwin, who has served on council for 6 years now, outlined his mayoral platform on his website also (www.irwinformayor.ca ). Councillor Irwin appears to be a man of few words, by reading his website this weekend, I have learned more about him than I knew in the previous two elections, including the fact the concept of a complete sentence is foreign to whoever compiled his website. However, he, like Mike Murray, is committed to open government. Councillor Irwin is also dedicated to being a mayor of integrity and trust, one who will work with the RCMP to reduce crime and increase community safety, all while promoting the City in order to bring new businesses and industry here. He too, wishes to encourage citizens to become involved in the business of the city, through town hall meetings and social media.
The third candidate, and first woman in my memory to run for mayor of Fort St. John, is Councillor Lori Ackerman (www.loriackerman.ca). Like Councillor Irwin, she has served on council for the past 6 years. While her website details her thoughts and proposed actions on the many, and varied issues affecting the residents of Fort St. John, I've had some trouble finding her vision for the city. Essentially, it seems she wants to see Fort St. John recognized for its' contribution to the province, and to become sustainable economically, socially and environmentally.
Of the three candidates for mayor of Fort St. John, Councillor Ackerman seems to have thought about the most issues affecting voters in the community, and has written down her opinions regarding how these issues can be addressed in the future. Mike Murray, also discusses a number of issues on his website, including Site C, downtown development, municipal boundary, citizen involvement and the Regional District. Councillor Irwin, has not posted his thoughts on any of the issues affecting voters in Fort St. John. I assume he has opinions, which he really should put on his website. How can one vote for a guy, if we don't know where he stands on the issues affecting our community?
I've been waiting patiently for the reporters at Energeticcity.ca to produce the profiles that were apparently coming, on the various candidates, both for mayor and council. But as yet, there's not a whole bunch of info. All the information I have discussed here, I gleaned from the candidates' websites alone. I assume there's something in the local newspapers, but I stopped reading those, when the quality of the writing (in my opinion) plunged into the toilet and remained there. I mean really, what's the point of buying something, that you cannot read, without being compelled to attack it with a red pen? But that is a rant for another day.
In the meantime, I look forward to the profiles Energeticcity.ca is putting together, to learn more about the people who have put themselves out there, looking to represent our city, and lead us into the future.
May the best candidates win, on November 19th!
(Note: this blog is open to comments. Just please, keep it civil, keep it clean or I won't post it! Thanks for reading!)
Let's start with the newbie, the political virgin, mayoral candidate Mike Murray (www.mikemurray.ca) According to his rather lengthy, auto-biographical essay, he's been a resident of Fort St. John since 1969, and worked in a variety of capacities at different long-time local companies. If you're looking for a long-term resident to lead the city, my guess is, he would be it. His vision of Fort St. John, which I found at the bottom of the issues page, is a bit disjointed. He wants to restore trust in local government, encourage citizen involvement to create a city to be proud of, and create an environment in which people want to come to Fort St. John, and stay. Succinct, so far. But then he ends his vision with a comment about a young person who wants a go-cart track in town. Maybe it's the latent editor in me, but he should've incorporated that vision - increased youth involvement - a bit earlier in his vision statement. To me, it looks like an after-thought, and if I were a new, young voter, I might not be encouraged by the sense that the needs of young people in the community are tacked on the end as an after-thought.
However, neither of the other two mayoral candidates has mentioned the young people of our city at all, on their websites.
Councillor Don Irwin, who has served on council for 6 years now, outlined his mayoral platform on his website also (www.irwinformayor.ca ). Councillor Irwin appears to be a man of few words, by reading his website this weekend, I have learned more about him than I knew in the previous two elections, including the fact the concept of a complete sentence is foreign to whoever compiled his website. However, he, like Mike Murray, is committed to open government. Councillor Irwin is also dedicated to being a mayor of integrity and trust, one who will work with the RCMP to reduce crime and increase community safety, all while promoting the City in order to bring new businesses and industry here. He too, wishes to encourage citizens to become involved in the business of the city, through town hall meetings and social media.
The third candidate, and first woman in my memory to run for mayor of Fort St. John, is Councillor Lori Ackerman (www.loriackerman.ca). Like Councillor Irwin, she has served on council for the past 6 years. While her website details her thoughts and proposed actions on the many, and varied issues affecting the residents of Fort St. John, I've had some trouble finding her vision for the city. Essentially, it seems she wants to see Fort St. John recognized for its' contribution to the province, and to become sustainable economically, socially and environmentally.
Of the three candidates for mayor of Fort St. John, Councillor Ackerman seems to have thought about the most issues affecting voters in the community, and has written down her opinions regarding how these issues can be addressed in the future. Mike Murray, also discusses a number of issues on his website, including Site C, downtown development, municipal boundary, citizen involvement and the Regional District. Councillor Irwin, has not posted his thoughts on any of the issues affecting voters in Fort St. John. I assume he has opinions, which he really should put on his website. How can one vote for a guy, if we don't know where he stands on the issues affecting our community?
I've been waiting patiently for the reporters at Energeticcity.ca to produce the profiles that were apparently coming, on the various candidates, both for mayor and council. But as yet, there's not a whole bunch of info. All the information I have discussed here, I gleaned from the candidates' websites alone. I assume there's something in the local newspapers, but I stopped reading those, when the quality of the writing (in my opinion) plunged into the toilet and remained there. I mean really, what's the point of buying something, that you cannot read, without being compelled to attack it with a red pen? But that is a rant for another day.
In the meantime, I look forward to the profiles Energeticcity.ca is putting together, to learn more about the people who have put themselves out there, looking to represent our city, and lead us into the future.
May the best candidates win, on November 19th!
(Note: this blog is open to comments. Just please, keep it civil, keep it clean or I won't post it! Thanks for reading!)
Monday, October 17, 2011
Clean up the City to encourage growth
I've been reading over the web pages of the three candidates for Mayor of Fort St. John -- and one thing that they all have in common, is their stated intention to promote the City to the rest of British Columbia, and perhaps even further afield, in the hopes of attracting more workers, residents and tax-payers to the City. For the good of the City, of course. But to do that, I've heard people say, one must dispel the impression that Fort St. John is cold and dirty, and who would want to live here anyhow?
The thing is, it is cold and dirty. Okay, there are a few months of the year, after the sandy residue has been cleaned off our streets, that it's not dirty. But as soon as it snows, back comes the sand. It's a safety thing - we need to put sand on our streets to help keep vehicles on the roads. That makes it dirty. Trying to tell potential residents otherwise would be misleading. And why is the snow such a problem? Well, because it's cold. I first moved here in 1981, and apart from a couple of years recently, I can't remember a Halloween without snow. Halloween is in October. And the reason gardeners of the area don't plant their gardens until the beginning of June, or at least until after the May long weekend? Because there's no guarantee that there won't be snow or frost until after then. So, during 8 months of the year, there is likely to be snow on the ground. Why does it snow? Because it's cold.
Who would want to live here? Despite the extremes of weather we experience, the Peace region is beautiful to behold. And it's fun to live here.What would encourage people to come to Fort St. John? What would make people want to stay?
We need a greater variety of businesses in Fort St. John. The intentions of the mayoral candidates to promote the City to attract workers are good. But make sure its businesses, not just oilfield workers. For example, I am sick to death of shopping at Wal-Mart, and having no choice of clothing for my children other than the cheap crap that Wal-Mart provides. Okay, there's SmartiPantz too, and I love some of their clothes, but the prices are exorbitant, in my opinion.
Who wants to come here from other centres and suffer from a lack of choice? The most variety we have in our local businesses, it seems to me, are the number of drinking establishments in town. Off the top of my head, I counted 10 establishments with bars (they may be restaurants and bars, but they have a BAR) . . . yet there are only 2 places to buy children's clothing. There is only one place for men to buy a suit. And two places for men's work clothes. That's 5 places to outfit people who make up probably more than half the City's population. Yet, there are at least 10 places where one can get plastered.
There is something wrong with this picture. Perhaps it could be addressed, both in the city's promotion campaigns, and through the downtown revitalization project. I gotta tell you, looking at downtown Fort St. John, particularly the blocks of 100 Avenue, between 100th Street and 104th Street, I sure as heck wouldn't want to come here and look at that every single day.
Face it. It's nasty.
Yet I live here. I've lived here for a long time. There are many good qualities to Fort St. John. But if our future leaders are truly committed to making it a better place - a fine, welcoming, prosperous, aesthetically pleasing city, that people will want to move to - you've gotta do more than just tell people we have a lot of jobs up here, and that our summers are beautiful. You've got to back it up with concrete improvements. And I don't mean a few flower pots and the odd tree on the main drag which miraculously survived snow-plows and vandals.
I'm talking about building standards. Standards of appearance. Sidewalks which were laid a little more recently than 1974. Perhaps put the homeless people to work, cleaning-up the streets that they live on, rather than leaving them to hang around our downtown core, no doubt wishing that they had something to do, other than standing around. Not only could they help, but it might give them back some pride, and a sense of accomplishment.
I know people will ask, where would the money for this come from? How about, instead of wasting taxpayer money on entering the City in the Communities in Bloom competition, we take that funding and use it to make our community a nicer place. Who, in Ontario, for example, really cares how many flower pots Fort St. John has? We have to live here - wouldn't that money be better spent on improving the appearance and services of the city for those who actually live here, not some anonymous pack of judges from Ontario? Really, I would've thought it was a no-brainer.
Yes, participating in the Communities in Bloom competition has been a point of pride for previous mayors and councils . . . but how proud can you be of something that's acting as a bandaid on a festering boil on the butt of our city? Make the City nice for everyone, 12 months of year, not just for a pack of judges in who come to town in June.
Whichever of the mayoral candidates who could come up with viable plan to do that, would have my vote on November 19th.
The thing is, it is cold and dirty. Okay, there are a few months of the year, after the sandy residue has been cleaned off our streets, that it's not dirty. But as soon as it snows, back comes the sand. It's a safety thing - we need to put sand on our streets to help keep vehicles on the roads. That makes it dirty. Trying to tell potential residents otherwise would be misleading. And why is the snow such a problem? Well, because it's cold. I first moved here in 1981, and apart from a couple of years recently, I can't remember a Halloween without snow. Halloween is in October. And the reason gardeners of the area don't plant their gardens until the beginning of June, or at least until after the May long weekend? Because there's no guarantee that there won't be snow or frost until after then. So, during 8 months of the year, there is likely to be snow on the ground. Why does it snow? Because it's cold.
Who would want to live here? Despite the extremes of weather we experience, the Peace region is beautiful to behold. And it's fun to live here.What would encourage people to come to Fort St. John? What would make people want to stay?
We need a greater variety of businesses in Fort St. John. The intentions of the mayoral candidates to promote the City to attract workers are good. But make sure its businesses, not just oilfield workers. For example, I am sick to death of shopping at Wal-Mart, and having no choice of clothing for my children other than the cheap crap that Wal-Mart provides. Okay, there's SmartiPantz too, and I love some of their clothes, but the prices are exorbitant, in my opinion.
Who wants to come here from other centres and suffer from a lack of choice? The most variety we have in our local businesses, it seems to me, are the number of drinking establishments in town. Off the top of my head, I counted 10 establishments with bars (they may be restaurants and bars, but they have a BAR) . . . yet there are only 2 places to buy children's clothing. There is only one place for men to buy a suit. And two places for men's work clothes. That's 5 places to outfit people who make up probably more than half the City's population. Yet, there are at least 10 places where one can get plastered.
There is something wrong with this picture. Perhaps it could be addressed, both in the city's promotion campaigns, and through the downtown revitalization project. I gotta tell you, looking at downtown Fort St. John, particularly the blocks of 100 Avenue, between 100th Street and 104th Street, I sure as heck wouldn't want to come here and look at that every single day.
Face it. It's nasty.
Yet I live here. I've lived here for a long time. There are many good qualities to Fort St. John. But if our future leaders are truly committed to making it a better place - a fine, welcoming, prosperous, aesthetically pleasing city, that people will want to move to - you've gotta do more than just tell people we have a lot of jobs up here, and that our summers are beautiful. You've got to back it up with concrete improvements. And I don't mean a few flower pots and the odd tree on the main drag which miraculously survived snow-plows and vandals.
I'm talking about building standards. Standards of appearance. Sidewalks which were laid a little more recently than 1974. Perhaps put the homeless people to work, cleaning-up the streets that they live on, rather than leaving them to hang around our downtown core, no doubt wishing that they had something to do, other than standing around. Not only could they help, but it might give them back some pride, and a sense of accomplishment.
I know people will ask, where would the money for this come from? How about, instead of wasting taxpayer money on entering the City in the Communities in Bloom competition, we take that funding and use it to make our community a nicer place. Who, in Ontario, for example, really cares how many flower pots Fort St. John has? We have to live here - wouldn't that money be better spent on improving the appearance and services of the city for those who actually live here, not some anonymous pack of judges from Ontario? Really, I would've thought it was a no-brainer.
Yes, participating in the Communities in Bloom competition has been a point of pride for previous mayors and councils . . . but how proud can you be of something that's acting as a bandaid on a festering boil on the butt of our city? Make the City nice for everyone, 12 months of year, not just for a pack of judges in who come to town in June.
Whichever of the mayoral candidates who could come up with viable plan to do that, would have my vote on November 19th.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Charlie Lake residents don't get to vote
In spite of the glorious opportunities for change in the city of Fort St. John, residents of Charlie Lake, Area C of the Peace River Regional District, and Zones 1, 2 and 3 of School District 60 will not get to vote on November 19th. Why? Because nobody new stepped up to the plate.
I'm not taking issue with the representation provided by the incumbent directors and trustees (well, except the Area C director, but that's another story), experience is good. I'm just disappointed that no one else put their name forward in these areas to provide the voters with a choice.
Those who live in the rural areas can run for City Council, for the Board of Trustees, for the Regional District, but cannot vote for City Council unless one owns property in the City. Yet, what goes on in Fort St. John, affects all those living outside the city, in its surrounding areas - it's bedroom communities. I know a lot of people who live in the Charlie Lake area and in Montney, for example, who work in Fort St. John. Their children go to school in Fort St. John. Yet, because nobody else stepped up they don't get a say in how the school system is run. If they don't own property in town, they don't get to vote for the people they believe will best represent their interests.
Of course, I understand that if one lives outside the boundaries of the city, one should only be voting in elections of those bodies which directly represent the place where you live . . . but we're all inter-connected here.
I've lost count of the number of articles I wrote for the papers and magazines in which the leaders of Fort St. John have said that although Fort St. John only had X number of people living in it, the city serves a region with a population of something like 50,000 people.
Fifty thousand people. Many of whom won't get a voice this election, because only in the city, have people decided they need to have a voice. And only the people in the city get to choose the people who will represent them, and the fifty thousand people in the surrounding area.
Democracy at it's best. But only if you live in the City.
Okay, sure. I could have run and challenged Arthur Hadland for the Area C directorship. Or I could have challenged Heather Hannaford for the Zone 2 trustee position. But, I know that I would probably not make a good leader. I am too outspoken. Liberal-minded and open to change, yes. But I really don't believe I have the qualities required to make a good leader. That's okay - my destiny is not to be a leader, merely a voice on this blog. And perhaps a member of the kids' school's PAC.
However, at least my area of the PRRD has representation. Area E, which includes Chetwynd, does not. When the deadline for nominations came yesterday, no one, not even the incumbent Director, had put their name forward. Not one, single person in Chetwynd stepped forward to say, "Hey. We need representation. Please elect me to represent you. I care about our area." And so, the deadline has been extended until Monday. But I wonder if that's long enough. How many people in the Chetwynd area know that they are no longer represented on Regional District? And do they care?
To the editor of the Chetwynd Echo - there's a story here! This lack of representation is worse than voter apathy. There are always people who make a point of going out to vote. But they can only exercise that right if there is someone to vote for.
To the residents of Area E - someone step up to represent your region! Give your friends and neighbours the opportunity to vote . . . and then, on November 19 - VOTE!!
I'm not taking issue with the representation provided by the incumbent directors and trustees (well, except the Area C director, but that's another story), experience is good. I'm just disappointed that no one else put their name forward in these areas to provide the voters with a choice.
Those who live in the rural areas can run for City Council, for the Board of Trustees, for the Regional District, but cannot vote for City Council unless one owns property in the City. Yet, what goes on in Fort St. John, affects all those living outside the city, in its surrounding areas - it's bedroom communities. I know a lot of people who live in the Charlie Lake area and in Montney, for example, who work in Fort St. John. Their children go to school in Fort St. John. Yet, because nobody else stepped up they don't get a say in how the school system is run. If they don't own property in town, they don't get to vote for the people they believe will best represent their interests.
Of course, I understand that if one lives outside the boundaries of the city, one should only be voting in elections of those bodies which directly represent the place where you live . . . but we're all inter-connected here.
I've lost count of the number of articles I wrote for the papers and magazines in which the leaders of Fort St. John have said that although Fort St. John only had X number of people living in it, the city serves a region with a population of something like 50,000 people.
Fifty thousand people. Many of whom won't get a voice this election, because only in the city, have people decided they need to have a voice. And only the people in the city get to choose the people who will represent them, and the fifty thousand people in the surrounding area.
Democracy at it's best. But only if you live in the City.
Okay, sure. I could have run and challenged Arthur Hadland for the Area C directorship. Or I could have challenged Heather Hannaford for the Zone 2 trustee position. But, I know that I would probably not make a good leader. I am too outspoken. Liberal-minded and open to change, yes. But I really don't believe I have the qualities required to make a good leader. That's okay - my destiny is not to be a leader, merely a voice on this blog. And perhaps a member of the kids' school's PAC.
However, at least my area of the PRRD has representation. Area E, which includes Chetwynd, does not. When the deadline for nominations came yesterday, no one, not even the incumbent Director, had put their name forward. Not one, single person in Chetwynd stepped forward to say, "Hey. We need representation. Please elect me to represent you. I care about our area." And so, the deadline has been extended until Monday. But I wonder if that's long enough. How many people in the Chetwynd area know that they are no longer represented on Regional District? And do they care?
To the editor of the Chetwynd Echo - there's a story here! This lack of representation is worse than voter apathy. There are always people who make a point of going out to vote. But they can only exercise that right if there is someone to vote for.
To the residents of Area E - someone step up to represent your region! Give your friends and neighbours the opportunity to vote . . . and then, on November 19 - VOTE!!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Political virginity abounds!
As I write this, the deadline for submitting candidacy papers for Fort St. John's municipal election is a mere 6 hours away. I'm pleased to note that for this election, there is a whole slew of political virgins, itching to get their hands dirty in the local political arena.
Virgins, you say? Why did I call them virgins? Simply because a large number of people running for Fort St. John City Council this year have never held public office before. Like the HGTV show, Property Virgins, about people who have never bought a property before - these people who want to run our city, who want to make it a better place for all residents, are Political Virgins.
This is a really good thing.
That's not to say there's anything wrong with long-time councillors running again. Because there isn't. I'm encouraged by the fact that there's going to be a good mix of old and new on council for the next 3 years, following this election. It's pretty much guaranteed.
Okay, on the news this morning, they said that there's enough candidates to completely replace the current council, but I really don't think that's going to happen. While political virginity is a good thing, a whole council of unproven, untried, inexperienced political virgins just might be a really bad idea. Obviously, those running for council care about the city, and how it's run, but to balance their enthusiasm and new ideas, we still need some voices of experience.
The area which really needs to have a large dose of political experience is the position of Mayor of Fort St. John. While I admire the guts of those who run for mayor without any prior political experience, I have to admit that I think its a bad idea. Maybe I'm old-fashioned or something, but I think one should work their way up to the position, get some experience on council first, and see if the political life is really the life one wants. And if they can handle the pressure.
Look what happened the last time a politically inexperienced mayor got elected. The people were unhappy. The city was embarrassed. No doubt, the mayor was also unhappy and embarrassed. I would've been. But, that's done. Come December, he can move on to something more enjoyable, something less potentially volatile perhaps.
At the moment, we have 3 candidates for mayor; and 11 candidates for council, 6 of whom have never held political office. This weekend, after the nominations have closed, I'll discuss my thoughts on the council and mayoral candidates. Hopefully, I will have plenty of encouraging news for the voters of Fort St. John.
Thanks for reading! And remember, on November 19 - go out and VOTE!!
Virgins, you say? Why did I call them virgins? Simply because a large number of people running for Fort St. John City Council this year have never held public office before. Like the HGTV show, Property Virgins, about people who have never bought a property before - these people who want to run our city, who want to make it a better place for all residents, are Political Virgins.
This is a really good thing.
That's not to say there's anything wrong with long-time councillors running again. Because there isn't. I'm encouraged by the fact that there's going to be a good mix of old and new on council for the next 3 years, following this election. It's pretty much guaranteed.
Okay, on the news this morning, they said that there's enough candidates to completely replace the current council, but I really don't think that's going to happen. While political virginity is a good thing, a whole council of unproven, untried, inexperienced political virgins just might be a really bad idea. Obviously, those running for council care about the city, and how it's run, but to balance their enthusiasm and new ideas, we still need some voices of experience.
The area which really needs to have a large dose of political experience is the position of Mayor of Fort St. John. While I admire the guts of those who run for mayor without any prior political experience, I have to admit that I think its a bad idea. Maybe I'm old-fashioned or something, but I think one should work their way up to the position, get some experience on council first, and see if the political life is really the life one wants. And if they can handle the pressure.
Look what happened the last time a politically inexperienced mayor got elected. The people were unhappy. The city was embarrassed. No doubt, the mayor was also unhappy and embarrassed. I would've been. But, that's done. Come December, he can move on to something more enjoyable, something less potentially volatile perhaps.
At the moment, we have 3 candidates for mayor; and 11 candidates for council, 6 of whom have never held political office. This weekend, after the nominations have closed, I'll discuss my thoughts on the council and mayoral candidates. Hopefully, I will have plenty of encouraging news for the voters of Fort St. John.
Thanks for reading! And remember, on November 19 - go out and VOTE!!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Let the mudslinging begin!!
Mudslinging? No, it's not raining . . . although soon it will be raining political ambitions in Fort St. John, as City Council, the Regional District, and the School District 60 Board of Trustees positions are all up for grabs this fall. If the last municipal election is anything to go by, not to mention some of the items in the media in the past year . . . there will be a certain amount of mudslinging going on in our previously civilized municipal election.
Again, as in the last municipal election, I suspect much of the mudslinging, disparaging personal comments etc., will surround the race for mayor. Certainly, the last election was not too bad, in this respect, but there were some bad feelings on both sides during the campaign. This time around, largely as a result of accusations leveled at our mayor in the past year, there will be some people who may want to point out these perceived short-comings as a reason not to re-elect him.
I really hope it doesn't come to that. It's not a popularity contest, although it may seem like it at times. It's an opportunity for change, if change is needed, and a chance for residents of Fort St. John to make sure that those running our city are the best ones for the job. We need to elect a mayor and council who will best represent the city, at all times, regardless of any personal baggage they may be toting. You know, put their best face forward, at all times. For the betterment of the city they are representing.
With rumours of four potential candidates for Mayor of Fort St. John, I'm looking forward to this campaign, and to hearing the candidates visions for our community.
Of the possible "known" candidates for Mayor, we have the current mayor, Bruce Lantz. Also possibly running are incumbent councillors Lori Ackerman and Don Irwin. Both have served the City well on council for a number of years - at least two terms for each, I think. I must say, however, that in spite of his years on council, I don't actually know much about Councillor Irwin, the issues he stands for, or his vision for the City. Councillor Ackerman has been more vocal - most notably on the issue of handicapped accessibility to all facilities in the City.
So, come October 4th, we will know who is running for which positions, throughout the region. Best of luck to all candidates, and may those who will be represent the City, the Region and the students of Fort St. John, win.
Again, as in the last municipal election, I suspect much of the mudslinging, disparaging personal comments etc., will surround the race for mayor. Certainly, the last election was not too bad, in this respect, but there were some bad feelings on both sides during the campaign. This time around, largely as a result of accusations leveled at our mayor in the past year, there will be some people who may want to point out these perceived short-comings as a reason not to re-elect him.
I really hope it doesn't come to that. It's not a popularity contest, although it may seem like it at times. It's an opportunity for change, if change is needed, and a chance for residents of Fort St. John to make sure that those running our city are the best ones for the job. We need to elect a mayor and council who will best represent the city, at all times, regardless of any personal baggage they may be toting. You know, put their best face forward, at all times. For the betterment of the city they are representing.
With rumours of four potential candidates for Mayor of Fort St. John, I'm looking forward to this campaign, and to hearing the candidates visions for our community.
Of the possible "known" candidates for Mayor, we have the current mayor, Bruce Lantz. Also possibly running are incumbent councillors Lori Ackerman and Don Irwin. Both have served the City well on council for a number of years - at least two terms for each, I think. I must say, however, that in spite of his years on council, I don't actually know much about Councillor Irwin, the issues he stands for, or his vision for the City. Councillor Ackerman has been more vocal - most notably on the issue of handicapped accessibility to all facilities in the City.
So, come October 4th, we will know who is running for which positions, throughout the region. Best of luck to all candidates, and may those who will be represent the City, the Region and the students of Fort St. John, win.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Real Summer or Indian Summer?
It's an absolutely glorious day, again, in Fort St. John. After one of the worst summers of all time, weather-wise, it seems that now that school has started up again, summer has arrived. But since it's September, is it really summer, or Indian Summer? I wonder, but I'm not complaining - this weather is fabulous! How often do you get 29C temperatures in September, up here? Umm, let me think . . . never!!
This fantastic weather is giving my garden a chance to catch up - I have more peas ready to harvest, the beans are actually getting a chance to grow . . . but my greenhouse, alas, is done for the year. I cleaned it out a few days ago, there's only 5 tomato plants left in there now, but as soon as I finish picking the ripe ones, they're going too. The leaves are turning yellow, despite daily watering and tons of sunshine, so I think that's it for 2011. That's okay though, gives me a chance to finish with the garden - I have a ton of carrots to put up - and plan the whole shebang again for next spring.
This was the garden, in all it's mostly weed-free glory a couple of weeks ago. Everything is bigger now, except the potatoes, as I've pulled up some, as well as some carrots. The Buttercrunch lettuce got away on me, while I was waiting for heads to form, the plants decided to bolt instead - I'll try it again next year, but at least the Romaine turned out awesome. I just planted a little too much. My planting plan was based on an expected 50% death rate, but I don't think even 25% of the plants died. So unless we had salad every single day, there's no way I could keep up with my lettuce crop.
Remember, one-third of this garden is an experiment! A very successful experiment, if I may be allowed to brag!
Must go and weed now, and harvest more carrots, beets and peas. Next blog post, I'll share some of the other stuff I've been doing this month . . . a departure from gardening, and back to one of my earlier loves, before I'd really discovered writing as an art form.
Hopefully, you'll love what I've come up with!
Thanks for reading!
This fantastic weather is giving my garden a chance to catch up - I have more peas ready to harvest, the beans are actually getting a chance to grow . . . but my greenhouse, alas, is done for the year. I cleaned it out a few days ago, there's only 5 tomato plants left in there now, but as soon as I finish picking the ripe ones, they're going too. The leaves are turning yellow, despite daily watering and tons of sunshine, so I think that's it for 2011. That's okay though, gives me a chance to finish with the garden - I have a ton of carrots to put up - and plan the whole shebang again for next spring.
This was the garden, in all it's mostly weed-free glory a couple of weeks ago. Everything is bigger now, except the potatoes, as I've pulled up some, as well as some carrots. The Buttercrunch lettuce got away on me, while I was waiting for heads to form, the plants decided to bolt instead - I'll try it again next year, but at least the Romaine turned out awesome. I just planted a little too much. My planting plan was based on an expected 50% death rate, but I don't think even 25% of the plants died. So unless we had salad every single day, there's no way I could keep up with my lettuce crop.
Remember, one-third of this garden is an experiment! A very successful experiment, if I may be allowed to brag!
Must go and weed now, and harvest more carrots, beets and peas. Next blog post, I'll share some of the other stuff I've been doing this month . . . a departure from gardening, and back to one of my earlier loves, before I'd really discovered writing as an art form.
Hopefully, you'll love what I've come up with!
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
FSJ prepared for a flash flood? Think not!
Apparently, our mayor thinks the City of Fort St. John is now adequately prepared to withstand a flash flood. What, they have a fleet of vac trucks on standby in the event of another downpour??
Grow a flipping brain, man.
The situation is no different than it was this past weekend, or two weeks before that. The city has an inadequate sewage system. God knows when it was last upgraded - certainly not recently, in the Matthew's Park area. Clearly, the city planners didn't either anticipate the possible future growth of the city; or they figured it would never rain that much.
Add to that, the fact that many of the flooded properties and streets are located at the bottom of a hill (water runs downhill, in case you were wondering), and on the site of a former swamp. Obviously, the natural drainage properties of the land are going to compromised when said land is a swamp.
And the newer houses which got flooded at the other end of town? Okay, they're on top of a hill. But, the by-pass road is higher than the properties. Again, the sewage system needs upgrading and how many of these properties were properly graded by the builder when they were completed? Do the yards actually slope away from the houses, or were they just made nice and flat by the builders and left?
When we built our house, we made sure the land sloped away from the house. We even have two shallow drainage ditches (which are still soaking wet) to direct water away from the house, and out to the edge of the backyard. Our old house, was also properly graded. But unfortunately, not our next door neighbours. Every spring, they had water coming in their basement when the snow melted and headed straight for their foundation. I remember one spring, they sandbags out, just to keep the water out of the basement. Pretty extreme for a house in town, on top of a hill, with no river in sight. They've since built a berm of earth and grass around their foundation and it seems to have done the trick.
Perhaps this is what our mayor means, when he says the City is prepared for another flash flood?? He's laid in a supply of sandbags? To go with the army of vac trucks? Or perhaps he has a large supply of porta-potties in his backyard, ready for when people are told not to use water, and therefore not flush their toilets to avoid putting further stress on the inadequate sewage system?
Of course, you know, that no matter what he says, it's all political-speak and actually has no substance or meaning that the people can count on. Full of hot air, I believe my parents would say! Maybe enough hot air will evaporate the rain as it falls, and then there will be no further issues?
I'm not holding my breath, but it will be interesting to see what measures he will trot out, come the next flood. I'm guessing that will be August long-weekend?
Grow a flipping brain, man.
The situation is no different than it was this past weekend, or two weeks before that. The city has an inadequate sewage system. God knows when it was last upgraded - certainly not recently, in the Matthew's Park area. Clearly, the city planners didn't either anticipate the possible future growth of the city; or they figured it would never rain that much.
Add to that, the fact that many of the flooded properties and streets are located at the bottom of a hill (water runs downhill, in case you were wondering), and on the site of a former swamp. Obviously, the natural drainage properties of the land are going to compromised when said land is a swamp.
And the newer houses which got flooded at the other end of town? Okay, they're on top of a hill. But, the by-pass road is higher than the properties. Again, the sewage system needs upgrading and how many of these properties were properly graded by the builder when they were completed? Do the yards actually slope away from the houses, or were they just made nice and flat by the builders and left?
When we built our house, we made sure the land sloped away from the house. We even have two shallow drainage ditches (which are still soaking wet) to direct water away from the house, and out to the edge of the backyard. Our old house, was also properly graded. But unfortunately, not our next door neighbours. Every spring, they had water coming in their basement when the snow melted and headed straight for their foundation. I remember one spring, they sandbags out, just to keep the water out of the basement. Pretty extreme for a house in town, on top of a hill, with no river in sight. They've since built a berm of earth and grass around their foundation and it seems to have done the trick.
Perhaps this is what our mayor means, when he says the City is prepared for another flash flood?? He's laid in a supply of sandbags? To go with the army of vac trucks? Or perhaps he has a large supply of porta-potties in his backyard, ready for when people are told not to use water, and therefore not flush their toilets to avoid putting further stress on the inadequate sewage system?
Of course, you know, that no matter what he says, it's all political-speak and actually has no substance or meaning that the people can count on. Full of hot air, I believe my parents would say! Maybe enough hot air will evaporate the rain as it falls, and then there will be no further issues?
I'm not holding my breath, but it will be interesting to see what measures he will trot out, come the next flood. I'm guessing that will be August long-weekend?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Energetic City - Fort St. John, BC
In the 206 years since development first began in the community now known as Fort St. John, British Columbia, phenomenal changes have taken place, many of them in the last 20 years. Founded as a trading post in 1794, Fort St. John grew with the gold rush and with the construction of the Alaska Highway, and continued that growth with the help of discovery of the natural resources of oil and natural gas, development of a forest industry and the continued growth of agriculture in the North Peace region.
“Looking back over the last 15 years that I’ve been involved in local government, there have been some phenomenal changes and improvements,” said Fort St. John Mayor Steve Thorlakson. In 1986, when Thorlakson was first elected to council, the city was bankrupt. “We had more liabilities than assets, taxes were increasing, and vacancies were running at 30-40 per cent.”
“Since that time we have made some huge progress in getting our own house in order — all of the property the city took back in tax sales has been sold, almost all of it has either been developed or is in the process of being developed,” said Thorlakson. For the last three years the city has had over $25 million in building permits a year, which he says is “quite astounding”, when you think of the amount of construction that has taken place in the past couple of years. Fort St. John’s construction increase has put the city on a par with Prince George, a city which is close to five times the size of Fort St. John.
ENERGY —
The nature and character of the oil patch has changed dramatically, said Thorlakson. “It used to be that about 65-70 per cent of our oil patch activity was exploration-driven. At this point in time, it’s more like 40 per cent exploration, and 60 per cent production-driven. Production is considerably steadier, more stable and more consistent — the type of economy we have today is totally different from that of 15 years ago. The booms and busts of the past, I think, are unlikely to repeat themselves.”
The petroleum industry in the North Peace is a driving force in both the local and provincial economy, with revenues from this area supplying the provincial government with much-needed funds in times when the economy of the rest of British Columbia is not faring as well as in the North. As the hub of the industry in British Columbia, and the gateway to the vast resources of northern British Columbia and beyond, Fort St. John is also home to a large service sector. Companies located in Fort St. John provide everything from road building and equipment hauling services, to well-testing, pipeline construction and drilling to a wide variety of companies from across Canada and the United States which come to the North Peace to seek out new reserves and to produce proven wells.
Construction of the Alliance Pipeline continued throughout the winter, and will deliver 37.5 million cubic metres of natural gas per day through 24-inch and 42-inch pipelines to consumers in Chicago, upon completion. Currently, the winter construction of this project is finished for the 1999-2000 season, with work expected to resume in May, when the pipeline will be completed from Mile 73 of the Alaska Highway, through to Taylor, BC. In January 2000, the reconstruction and expansion of the Solex Gas Liquids Extraction Plant in Taylor was completed and the plant is once again fully operational.
The provincial government created the Oil and Gas Commission in September 1998, and since that time it has succeeded in streamlining the applications process for oil and gas companies, as well as providing opportunities for First Nations to be involved in the industry, through consultation and employment, and acting as a source of information for all stakeholders in the industry.
As a result of this streamlined process and higher natural gas prices, in January and February 2000, a new record was set in the petroleum industry when, according to figures supplied by the Oil and Gas Commission, there were 130 rigs operating in British Columbia. The previous record was 98 rigs operating in 1980.
FORESTRY —
The forest industry too, has seen many changes in the past few years. There has been a significant amount of development in the industry over the last 15 years, said Thorlakson, but what may be more apparent is the promise of the future of the industry.
“We have a value-added manufacturer right in town, we are anxiously awaiting the announcement of Louisiana-Pacific and Slocan proposals. The potential there is absolutely staggering — LP alone was talking in the neighborhood of $280 million, creating 475 direct jobs, and 1200 indirect jobs which could trigger a population increase of an additional 3,000 - 4,000 people, over and above our normal rate of growth, which is about 2.5 - 3 per cent,” he said.
Because of the potential population growth, the LP and Slocan proposals could trigger housing starts like the city has never seen, said Thorlakson. For years the city had 20 housing starts per year, and in the last few years, the city has seen 130 – 140 housing starts a year — a figure which places Fort St. John well ahead of Prince George. When construction of the Slocan and Louisiana-Pacific plants begins, this will put the city’s construction value into the “mega-millions”, said Thorlakson.
Of the forestry companies currently operating in the North Peace, Canfor has two lumber mills, located near the airport and in Taylor. The Fort St. John mills produces approximately 168 million board feet of lumber each year, while the Taylor mill produces 73 million board feet of lumber.
The Fibreco Pulp mill in Taylor, which is owned by Slocan Forest Products, produces approximately 240,000 tonnes annually of bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulp ranging from high brightness tissue and towelling grades to low brightness newsprint grades of paper, made from northern softwood woodchips.
AGRICULTURE —
Agriculture too, has seen many changes in the past 20 years, Thorlakson said. “Twenty years ago we were mainly a grain and seed economy in the North Peace, livestock was a major industry, but not nearly as significant as it is now. The cattle ranchers have been having some tremendously good years. At this point in time, there is more cattle in the Peace Country than there is in the Cariboo, which used to be regarded as the cattle country of BC.”
The North Peace, said Thorlakson, has among the lowest debt per farm and the lowest number of farm failures in the entire country. “There are lots of prospects as well, and many specialty things going on — everything from ostriches to lily bulbs, llamas and bison are being raised very successfully here. Agriculture continues to be a growth industry.”
The majority of the province’s grains are grown in the BC Peace, including canola, barley, oats and wheat, and at the same time, a world-class grass seed industry is emerging, competing on a level-playing field with grass seed growers in the United States.
Cattle ranching has grown by leaps and bounds over the past two decades, with some very large operations having between 15,000 and 20,000 head of cattle. Each year approximately 60,000 calves from the BC Peace find their way to cattle auctions.
Sheep farming too, is a fast growing facet of BC Peace agriculture, with the number of sheep sold at the annual sheep auction in Dawson Creek growing each year, and setting records five years in a row. In 1999, the auction introduced video, whereby producers can show and sell their sheep without having to make the long trek to Dawson Creek to sell their produce. They then deliver the sheep directly to the purchaser.
DEVELOPMENT —
All sectors of the economy in the North Peace are growing at a solid, steady pace, said Thorlakson. While energy continues to be the facet of the economy which has gained the most attention, it is not the only area which is growing.
With that growth comes new development, and the city has received proposals and expressions of interest from a variety of businesses and companies which are interested in making investments in Fort St. John. In addition to the potential forest industry expansions proposed by Slocan Forest Products and Louisiana-Pacific, the Murray GM group has purchased a piece of land on 100 Ave. near the Alaska Highway to build a new car dealership, with an estimated value of $16 million. A Pizza Hut and Taco Bell facility will soon be completed, and a multiplex movie theatre is planned for the former Safeway location in the Totem Mall. Recently, Safeway completed construction of British Columbia’s largest supermarket in Fort St. John, something Thorlakson says they would not likely do on idle speculation. They must have faith in the long term stability of the community to construct such a project, he said.
“All development in the city has to be landscaped,” said Thorlakson. “The residents of this community are entitled to have a high quality of life, and we must have high standards to provide that quality of life.”
Although the city is insisting on high standards for projects which are constructed in Fort St. John, this doesn’t mean the community is not business-friendly. “People from all over are looking at Fort St. John as a place to do business, and we will work with them.”
City manager Colin Griffith says the city’s arms are wide open to accommodate any business that wants to invest in the community. “We will do anything we can to facilitate their needs and get them involved in the community,” said Griffith. “The increase in oil and gas activity means we will have to continue to upgrade the city infrastructure, to handle the existing population and the expected growth.”
FUTURE —
Over the past few years, the city has worked to re-position itself to make Fort St. John much more attractive and competitive than in the past. Thorlakson says that by creating a strategic plan in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce to change the city’s self-image, they have dramatically improved the sense of pride and confidence in the community, through the use of a new slogan — The Energetic City — city beautification campaigns and the hosting of Oil and Gas Week.
Under the guidance of City Manager Colin Griffith, the city has moved away from “micro-management”, said Thorlakson, and into broader policy making, goal setting and looking toward the future. “The outcome of that was a whole range of policies to put the city on a very sound financial footing, to substantially ease the burden on our taxpayers, and to enhance the quality of life in the community.”
As proof of their commitment, the city has not increased taxes for seven consecutive years. This has yielded approximately $12 million in savings, particularly to the business community. The city has a policy to not take on any long-term debt in its general fund account — apart from the recently completed water system and the sewer improvement project currently under way, Thorlakson says the city will be debt free in five years.
The next phase, Thorlakson says, is to make sure the city is as competitive as possible with Grande Prairie for the energy service industry. Much of this industry is still run out of Grande Prairie, yet more and more of the industry is moving into the region north of Fort St. John to Fort Nelson and the Fort Liard area. “It makes an awful lot of sense for that to based out of Fort St. John, not Grande Prairie.”
“We’re competitive now — and that’s taking everything into consideration, including PST (according to a government competitiveness study). With that, we think we’re going to see a lot more development, and we’ve got to be positioned so we can handle it,” said Thorlakson. “We need to remain focussed on making sure we’re trying to correct some long-standing problems, and that the city we hand over to our children is one that will be on a proper footing, be fairly financed, and provide the best quality of life to everyone possible.”
“I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say that we could very well be the size and have the cosmopolitan nature of Grande Prairie within 15 years,” said Thorlakson. “Our economy is one of the most diverse in the province,” Thorlakson said, based on figures gathered by the provincial government. “If we have a serious downturn in one sector, it will cause serious problems to individuals and businesses. We’re in a situation where, because we have that diversification, we are much better positioned for the future.”
This article (written by me) was originally published in the May/June 2000 issue of NorthWest Business Magazine.
“Looking back over the last 15 years that I’ve been involved in local government, there have been some phenomenal changes and improvements,” said Fort St. John Mayor Steve Thorlakson. In 1986, when Thorlakson was first elected to council, the city was bankrupt. “We had more liabilities than assets, taxes were increasing, and vacancies were running at 30-40 per cent.”
“Since that time we have made some huge progress in getting our own house in order — all of the property the city took back in tax sales has been sold, almost all of it has either been developed or is in the process of being developed,” said Thorlakson. For the last three years the city has had over $25 million in building permits a year, which he says is “quite astounding”, when you think of the amount of construction that has taken place in the past couple of years. Fort St. John’s construction increase has put the city on a par with Prince George, a city which is close to five times the size of Fort St. John.
ENERGY —
The nature and character of the oil patch has changed dramatically, said Thorlakson. “It used to be that about 65-70 per cent of our oil patch activity was exploration-driven. At this point in time, it’s more like 40 per cent exploration, and 60 per cent production-driven. Production is considerably steadier, more stable and more consistent — the type of economy we have today is totally different from that of 15 years ago. The booms and busts of the past, I think, are unlikely to repeat themselves.”
The petroleum industry in the North Peace is a driving force in both the local and provincial economy, with revenues from this area supplying the provincial government with much-needed funds in times when the economy of the rest of British Columbia is not faring as well as in the North. As the hub of the industry in British Columbia, and the gateway to the vast resources of northern British Columbia and beyond, Fort St. John is also home to a large service sector. Companies located in Fort St. John provide everything from road building and equipment hauling services, to well-testing, pipeline construction and drilling to a wide variety of companies from across Canada and the United States which come to the North Peace to seek out new reserves and to produce proven wells.
Construction of the Alliance Pipeline continued throughout the winter, and will deliver 37.5 million cubic metres of natural gas per day through 24-inch and 42-inch pipelines to consumers in Chicago, upon completion. Currently, the winter construction of this project is finished for the 1999-2000 season, with work expected to resume in May, when the pipeline will be completed from Mile 73 of the Alaska Highway, through to Taylor, BC. In January 2000, the reconstruction and expansion of the Solex Gas Liquids Extraction Plant in Taylor was completed and the plant is once again fully operational.
The provincial government created the Oil and Gas Commission in September 1998, and since that time it has succeeded in streamlining the applications process for oil and gas companies, as well as providing opportunities for First Nations to be involved in the industry, through consultation and employment, and acting as a source of information for all stakeholders in the industry.
As a result of this streamlined process and higher natural gas prices, in January and February 2000, a new record was set in the petroleum industry when, according to figures supplied by the Oil and Gas Commission, there were 130 rigs operating in British Columbia. The previous record was 98 rigs operating in 1980.
FORESTRY —
The forest industry too, has seen many changes in the past few years. There has been a significant amount of development in the industry over the last 15 years, said Thorlakson, but what may be more apparent is the promise of the future of the industry.
“We have a value-added manufacturer right in town, we are anxiously awaiting the announcement of Louisiana-Pacific and Slocan proposals. The potential there is absolutely staggering — LP alone was talking in the neighborhood of $280 million, creating 475 direct jobs, and 1200 indirect jobs which could trigger a population increase of an additional 3,000 - 4,000 people, over and above our normal rate of growth, which is about 2.5 - 3 per cent,” he said.
Because of the potential population growth, the LP and Slocan proposals could trigger housing starts like the city has never seen, said Thorlakson. For years the city had 20 housing starts per year, and in the last few years, the city has seen 130 – 140 housing starts a year — a figure which places Fort St. John well ahead of Prince George. When construction of the Slocan and Louisiana-Pacific plants begins, this will put the city’s construction value into the “mega-millions”, said Thorlakson.
Of the forestry companies currently operating in the North Peace, Canfor has two lumber mills, located near the airport and in Taylor. The Fort St. John mills produces approximately 168 million board feet of lumber each year, while the Taylor mill produces 73 million board feet of lumber.
The Fibreco Pulp mill in Taylor, which is owned by Slocan Forest Products, produces approximately 240,000 tonnes annually of bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulp ranging from high brightness tissue and towelling grades to low brightness newsprint grades of paper, made from northern softwood woodchips.
AGRICULTURE —
Agriculture too, has seen many changes in the past 20 years, Thorlakson said. “Twenty years ago we were mainly a grain and seed economy in the North Peace, livestock was a major industry, but not nearly as significant as it is now. The cattle ranchers have been having some tremendously good years. At this point in time, there is more cattle in the Peace Country than there is in the Cariboo, which used to be regarded as the cattle country of BC.”
The North Peace, said Thorlakson, has among the lowest debt per farm and the lowest number of farm failures in the entire country. “There are lots of prospects as well, and many specialty things going on — everything from ostriches to lily bulbs, llamas and bison are being raised very successfully here. Agriculture continues to be a growth industry.”
The majority of the province’s grains are grown in the BC Peace, including canola, barley, oats and wheat, and at the same time, a world-class grass seed industry is emerging, competing on a level-playing field with grass seed growers in the United States.
Cattle ranching has grown by leaps and bounds over the past two decades, with some very large operations having between 15,000 and 20,000 head of cattle. Each year approximately 60,000 calves from the BC Peace find their way to cattle auctions.
Sheep farming too, is a fast growing facet of BC Peace agriculture, with the number of sheep sold at the annual sheep auction in Dawson Creek growing each year, and setting records five years in a row. In 1999, the auction introduced video, whereby producers can show and sell their sheep without having to make the long trek to Dawson Creek to sell their produce. They then deliver the sheep directly to the purchaser.
DEVELOPMENT —
All sectors of the economy in the North Peace are growing at a solid, steady pace, said Thorlakson. While energy continues to be the facet of the economy which has gained the most attention, it is not the only area which is growing.
With that growth comes new development, and the city has received proposals and expressions of interest from a variety of businesses and companies which are interested in making investments in Fort St. John. In addition to the potential forest industry expansions proposed by Slocan Forest Products and Louisiana-Pacific, the Murray GM group has purchased a piece of land on 100 Ave. near the Alaska Highway to build a new car dealership, with an estimated value of $16 million. A Pizza Hut and Taco Bell facility will soon be completed, and a multiplex movie theatre is planned for the former Safeway location in the Totem Mall. Recently, Safeway completed construction of British Columbia’s largest supermarket in Fort St. John, something Thorlakson says they would not likely do on idle speculation. They must have faith in the long term stability of the community to construct such a project, he said.
“All development in the city has to be landscaped,” said Thorlakson. “The residents of this community are entitled to have a high quality of life, and we must have high standards to provide that quality of life.”
Although the city is insisting on high standards for projects which are constructed in Fort St. John, this doesn’t mean the community is not business-friendly. “People from all over are looking at Fort St. John as a place to do business, and we will work with them.”
City manager Colin Griffith says the city’s arms are wide open to accommodate any business that wants to invest in the community. “We will do anything we can to facilitate their needs and get them involved in the community,” said Griffith. “The increase in oil and gas activity means we will have to continue to upgrade the city infrastructure, to handle the existing population and the expected growth.”
FUTURE —
Over the past few years, the city has worked to re-position itself to make Fort St. John much more attractive and competitive than in the past. Thorlakson says that by creating a strategic plan in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce to change the city’s self-image, they have dramatically improved the sense of pride and confidence in the community, through the use of a new slogan — The Energetic City — city beautification campaigns and the hosting of Oil and Gas Week.
Under the guidance of City Manager Colin Griffith, the city has moved away from “micro-management”, said Thorlakson, and into broader policy making, goal setting and looking toward the future. “The outcome of that was a whole range of policies to put the city on a very sound financial footing, to substantially ease the burden on our taxpayers, and to enhance the quality of life in the community.”
As proof of their commitment, the city has not increased taxes for seven consecutive years. This has yielded approximately $12 million in savings, particularly to the business community. The city has a policy to not take on any long-term debt in its general fund account — apart from the recently completed water system and the sewer improvement project currently under way, Thorlakson says the city will be debt free in five years.
The next phase, Thorlakson says, is to make sure the city is as competitive as possible with Grande Prairie for the energy service industry. Much of this industry is still run out of Grande Prairie, yet more and more of the industry is moving into the region north of Fort St. John to Fort Nelson and the Fort Liard area. “It makes an awful lot of sense for that to based out of Fort St. John, not Grande Prairie.”
“We’re competitive now — and that’s taking everything into consideration, including PST (according to a government competitiveness study). With that, we think we’re going to see a lot more development, and we’ve got to be positioned so we can handle it,” said Thorlakson. “We need to remain focussed on making sure we’re trying to correct some long-standing problems, and that the city we hand over to our children is one that will be on a proper footing, be fairly financed, and provide the best quality of life to everyone possible.”
“I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say that we could very well be the size and have the cosmopolitan nature of Grande Prairie within 15 years,” said Thorlakson. “Our economy is one of the most diverse in the province,” Thorlakson said, based on figures gathered by the provincial government. “If we have a serious downturn in one sector, it will cause serious problems to individuals and businesses. We’re in a situation where, because we have that diversification, we are much better positioned for the future.”
This article (written by me) was originally published in the May/June 2000 issue of NorthWest Business Magazine.
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