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Message from the Mayor – February
Village of Canal Flats
Wow, it sure looks like spring has sprung!
The one thing on everyone’s mind right now is, of course, the layoffs happening at the mill.
Representatives from Canfor were on hand at the council meeting on February 10 to give a presentation and answer questions of council and those in attendance. They assured us again that they will be able to absorb everyone being laid off into the other Canfor operations around British Columbia.
In addition, the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training has established a ‘Canfor Canal Flats Worker Transition Team’ that will be working with Canfor and the village to address worker and community needs by linking them to programs, services and resources. The group has met twice already and participants included representatives from Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, WorkBC, Steelworkers’ Union, Canfor, Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation, Ministry of Advanced Education, Village of Canal Flats, Service Canada and College of the Rockies.
The team will be working together to organize information sessions helping workers with applying for EI benefits, relocating options, resume writing, training and/or other employment opportunities, etc.
At the same meeting council also adopted the 20-Year Capital Plan. This document lays out the future needs of our infrastructure (water, sewer, roads, etc.) and will be a tool for council in making crucial budget decisions and applications for grants.
Speaking of budget, council and staff are currently working very hard to come up with a budget that will cover the village’s needs without putting an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer especially in light of what is going on at the mill. The budget has to be adopted by May 15.
A bit of good news, council presented our grant request for the Recreation Service to Regional District of East Kootenay and we were approved for a new Zamboni. The grant will also include the installation of a handicap lift, new flooring of the mezzanine, drywells and insulation.
Finally, mark Friday, March 13 on your calendars. Our own Mathieu Fournier will be competing in the East Kootenay Community Credit Union Zamboni Challenge at Cranbrook’s Western Financial Place. He is one of the two finalists and will be competing for the title of ‘Master Zamboni Driver.’ In addition, $500 will go to the community group of the winner’s choice. In Mathieu’s case it will go to the Canal Flats Youth Group. For more information check out the following link.
If you decided to come and want to stay in Cranbrook for the night, George, an EKC board member, has offered a special at his hotel for all the Canal Flats guests. Elizabeth Lake Lodge $80 Rate… ’Ask for George RATE’ (250) 426-6114. I hope to see a lot of you out there to cheer Mathieu on!
That’s it for this month. I hope everyone gets a chance to get out and enjoy the nice weather.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions/concerns (Phone: 250-489-9070, E-mail: [email protected]).