Lessons Learned from 2010 Fires

This summer saw unprecedented wildfire activity in the region, particularly in the Chilcotin where dry conditions coupled with hectares of dead pine fueled fires in almost every corner of the Plateau. What was concerning about this year's fires wasn't so much the sizes or numbers but the widespread threats to homes, ranches and populated areas and the resulting evacuations. The City of Williams Lake was not immune from the threat of interface fire as the Meldrum Complex burned toward the Fraser River in mid August. Given the conditions and weather forecasts at the time, the City and CRD, in consultation with the Ministry of Forests initiated Evacuation Alerts and Orders over areas between the City and the Fraser. The concern was that predicted winds could throw the fire over the Fraser, creating a potentially dangerous situation for greater Williams Lake property owners and residents. Fortunately the predicted conditions did not materialize and the fires remained west of the Fraser. What did materialize however was an incredible learning experience for the the City and partner agencies as we implemented the City's Emergency Plan and began preparing for worst case scenarios.

The City joined the CRD's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) as all emergency response agencies were already present in the EOC and communication lines were well established. As the possibility of a City evacuation increased, the City established our own EOC at the new Fire Hall in order to concentrate on evacuation planning and response, involving the RCMP, Ministry of Transportation and Interior Health. The City maintained a presence in the CRD EOC, ensuring communication and coordination between the two EOCs.

Although the City's emergency plan contemplates mass evacuation and provides a framework for initiating such an endeavour, there were a number of logistical details that had to be worked out, particularly regarding the evacuation of vulnerable, disabled and elderly. With the appropriate agencies at the table, we were able to develop a detailed multi-agency evacuation plan that will ensure an effective and orderly evacuation should it be required in the future.

Interface fires are becoming the norm throughout the Province with global warming and dying forests. Williams Lake is surrounded by forest, much of it under attack from Mountian Pine Beetle and and an increasing presence of Fir Beetle. It is only a matter of time until there is a fire at our doorstep that will require the evacuation of portions of, or all of the greater Williams Lake area. Thanks to this recent 'close call', I am extremely confident that we have suffient plans and emergency response structures in place to effectively and safely evacuate our residents should the need arise.

Taking Advantage of Summer at Work

With many of our staff on holidays, not just at the City but in other agencies we deal with, the summer months provide an excellent opportunity for those still at work to get caught up. On a regular, day to day basis, the information flow and workload in City Hall can seem relentless. Incoming correspondence from countless sources, e-mails, reporting requirements, Council meeting agendas and minutes, reports to Council and the list goes on. The work is challenging and the days go extremely fast. However, the pace often doesn't allow us to keep up with the less critical, but equally important functions such as keeping files in order, planning for future initiatives, connecting informally with staff and other things that tend to take a back seat when we are busy.

It is important that the CAO and senior staff have an opportunity to get their heads 'out of the trench' and dedicate time to anticipating the future, evaluating what we are doing, how we are doing it and if there are better ways to do it. Too often we do things the same old way, not because it's the best way but because change takes time and effort. More often we are forced to make a reactive change when something goes wrong. However, it is preferable that we make changes 'proactively' so that we have time to think the issues through and implement change effectively. The summer months give us the opportunity to do just that.

Stampede A Huge Success

Another Williams Lake Stampede has come and gone and from all accounts, it was a great success. The weather cooperated for a majority of the weekend, especially Saturday for the Parade. The downtown was a buzz with activity Saturday and hats go off to the WLBIA for a great job organizing Street Party. The Rodeo ran without a hitch as usual with good crowds for all the performances. My only concern was the number of particpants in the Mountain Race as it seemed a little too many to be safe (or as safe as the Mountain Race can be).

The RCMP reported a relatively quiet Stampede Weekend with very few serious incidents. They had a good presence in the community which sets a tone for how folks behave. Our Stampede is certainly becoming more and more a true family event.

I had a little different perspective this year as I spent two mornings slinging bacon and hash browns at the Rotary Breakfast. It was fun to see all the comings and goings and to experience breakfast from the other side of the grill.

Now it's time to put away the cowboy boots and hat and enjoy the rest of summer!

Preparing for Prosperity

I must apologise for my delinquency in maintaining my blog these last two months. May was extremely hectic as I was out of town attending conferences three of the four weeks in May. It seemed that June was spent getting caught up from being away and getting our Annual Report prepared. I am looking forward to the summer months when things quiet down and I have time to get prepared for the 2011 budget process which begins in September.

Both City Council and staff are anxiously awaiting the report of the Federal Panel Review for Prosperity Mine. The final decision for the mine will have a significant impact on our municipality, whether it be positive or negative.

If the Federal Cabinet approves the mine, we will experience a level of growth and activity not recently experienced. Our challenge will be managing growth as opposed to encouraging growth. We will have a role to play in assisting our business community in being able to take advantage of the numerous opportunities associated with the mine. We will also have a significant demand for residential and commercial development which we must be in a position to respond to in a timely and coordinated fashion. As the CAO, I continue to develop organizational contingency plans in anticipation of the mine moving forward and the ICSP process will provide us to tools to ensure our growth is managed in a sustainable manner.

In the unfortunate event that the mine experiences challenges in moving forward, we will need to adjust our Economic Development strategy to address a potential decrease in economic confidence. Economic diversity will become even more important as we will be forced to rely less on the resource sector for our economic fuel.

Community Corner Grand Opening

April 30 was an exciting day for those of us involved with the Community Corner project. Looking back to the beginning, I can distinctly recall sitting in the Mayor's office with some senior staff of Petro Canada back in 2007. We had asked to meet with them to discuss the City's concerns with the state of the old Petro Can service station which was being leased by an automotive repair business. Old cars and trucks, pieces of machinery and parts littered the site, creating an eyesore on one of the most prolific properties in the downtown core. Petro Can acknowledged our concerns and agreed to find a more suitable tenant for the property.

At about the same time, discussions were being had with both Communities in Bloom and the Food Policy Council with respect to possible uses of the site. One concept was to acquire the land and demolish the building to create a park and green space in the downtown. The other suggestion was to utilize the building for a unique cooperative between the Food Policy Council, Business Improvement Area and Community Policing, all of whom were considering new office space.

The City favoured the partnership concept and approached Petro Can with a proposal to lease the facility with a fee equivalent to their annual municipal property tax which is approximately $5500. With some renderings of proposed facade improvements and a unique community partnership, Petro Can was happy to accept the proposal in 2008. The Partnership successfully applied to the City and CRD for a $10,000 Grant in Aide and began and aggressive donation drive to secure the resources required to renovate the vacant service station. Petro Can assisted by removing the automotive hoists, leaving the Partnership with the challenge of transforming the dirty, greasy service bays and office space into a functional, inviting establishment to serve three diverse groups.

Community Corner is an excellent example of local government working with community groups in pooling our resources and efforts for the benefit of the entire community and I am proud to have played a role with this dedicated group of volunteers.

New Positions at the City of Williams Lake

The 2010 Budget includes funding for a number of new positions and I thought it important to provide some information as to why these positions are necessary at this time:


Fire Department Administrative Assistant - This position has been 'on the books' for a number of years and the main reasons it hasn't been filled was lack of office space in the old Fire Hall. There is a considerable amount of record keeping, data entry, reports and other administrative requirements within the Fire Department and currently the Fire Chief, Fire Inspector and Safety Officer look after all the administrative duties. This simply is not cost effective and reduces the capacity of these postions to perform thier core functions such as safety inspections.

There is also the need in the new Fire Hall to have a receptionist who can staff the Hall when the Officers are out on fire calls or other duties.

Events/Marketing Coordinator - This half-time position is an extension of Economic Development and Recreation Services and is intended to provide more capacity to encourage and facilitate events in the community such as conferences, tournaments and sporting events. These types of events result in significant spending in the community with minimal investment. Often potential event organizers do not have the capacity to apply for conferences or tournaments or connect with other supporting resources in the community. This position will develop resources to assist event organizers and will work with the Chamber of Commerce and other groups to encourage and support such events.

Planning Technician - This eight-month position is intended to assist the Development Services department with completion of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan and the Official Community Plan processes currently underway. These two initiatives require a signifcant amount of work on the part of our Development Services staff which reduces their capacity to keep up with the day to day planning and development functions. This new position will provide short-term capacity until such time as the ICSP and OCP processes are complete.

CN Rail Ties/Chips Update

On Tuesday, April 6th, the City issued a BC Fire Code Order to CN Rail to remove the rail ties and chips stored next to the Station House Gallery. Under the Order, CN Rail has 30 days to comply and have 7 days to appeal the order. It has also been confrimed that BC Rail Properties has cancelled CN Rail's lease, effective in June 30. I have had numerous inquiries as to what CN Rail plans to do with the chips but we have had no communication with CN Rail and the City is not aware of what arrangements are being made.