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New offices opened to help MLA serve constituents
By Michelle Forbes
Living in rural B.C., the Kootenays are far from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, and the politics and decisions that are made there.
But the Kootenays still have access to the people who help make the decisions. Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Doug Clovechok has opened two new offices located in Kimberley and Revelstoke to better serve the people of the region.
With the concerns of the current NDP government attempting to push through proportional representation, which would all but eliminate the voices of the rural communities, Clovechok feels that it is even more important that his constituents feel they have a voice, and know how to reach their elected officials.
Claiming Dutch Creek, just south of Fairmont Hot Springs, as home, and an influential part of his childhood, Clovechok’s knowledge of the region and ties to the Kootenays help him better understand the needs of the region. With the importance of tourism in the area, Clovechok is using his position as Official Opposition Critic for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, along with the Columbia Basin Trust to help promote the Kootenays, with everything the area has to offer.
The film industry in B.C. is an economic driver for the province. Last year direct spending on film and TV production was more than $2.4 billion, and Vancouver is the third largest production centre in North America.
Last year ‘The Mountain Between Us’ (now in theatres) was filmed in the Purcell and the Rocky Mountains, based out of Invermere, and has helped promote our area as a place to film in B.C. Clovechok says he has had questions about where in B.C. it was filmed from interested producers, and will be using his position with the arts to help promote the Kootenays as a great place to shoot new films.
With two offices at opposite sides of the riding, and time spent in Victoria, Clovechok will be dividing his time throughout the riding, and taking the people’s concerns to Victoria, where he can reach out to the different ministers to help the region.
He wants the public to know that he is a “relentless champion for rural B.C.”, and that the Kootenay culture and love of the outdoors that we have here is something he is proud of. He is working with each of the mayors and city councils in the region to address issues, such as Kimberley’s brown fields, deer population, water issues, traffic issues, and other matters that affect constituents here in the Kootenays.
Clovechok said wants residents to know he is working for them, and that even when he is not in the region, his offices will be here with people who can help provide information on locating government services and contact information, navigate government bureaucracy, provide congratulatory messages, provide government documents, and help with understanding how the government runs and affects citizens in their everyday lives.
The first-time MLA encourages people to contact his offices about community events they would like to invite him to attend, as he will be working to be in the region for the weekends to help support more events.
Clovechok wants everyone to know he is here to serve the region, and that people can find information about what the government is doing, and how to access government services.
His MLA website provides services offered by the MLA offices, contact information, news updates, and more information, with more responses to local events and situations found on his Facebook page.
If you would like to visit the offices, they are located at: 362 Wallinger Avenue, Kimberley, and 107-1st Street East, Revelstoke. The toll free number is 1-844-432-2300, or he can be reached at [email protected]
While the Kootenays are far from the provincial offices that make the decisions that affect the provinces, there are places to access all the information you need to see how those decisions affect our region of the province. Be sure to stop in the closest MLA office when you have a chance, and see how your MLA is working for you.
Above photo from left to right: Rachel Loganberg, CRR Constituency Assistant; Don McCormick, Mayor of Kimberley; Marie Kohlman, Kimberley business owner; Doug Clovechok, Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA; Judie Blakely, retired and loving it!; Leah Bradish, Director of Con.Ed., Contract Training and Regional Campus Operations at College of the Rockies; Dee Conklin, Columbia Valley business owner and former Village of Radium Hot Springs Mayor; and Jane Walter, Electoral Area E Director for RDEK. Photos by Michelle Forbes
