• Chamber Meets with Minister Donaldson: 7/17/2019

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    July 17, 2019
    NEWS RELEASE
     
    Fort Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce Meets with Minister Donaldson on Caribou Recovery Plan
     
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
     
    July 17, 2019, VICTORIA--Yesterday, the Fort Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce, along with the BC Chamber and 10 chambers from the North, Okanagan, and Kootenays, met with Minister Doug Donaldson to discuss concerns related to the Federal Species at Risk Act's Section 11 Mountain Caribou Recovery Plan.  
    Bev Vandersteen attended to urge the Minister to take economic considerations into account, engage in robust and meaningful consultations with all stakeholders and ensure that socioeconomic considerations are integrated into management plans. 

    “There was an open and honest dialogue with Minister Donaldson” said Vandersteen adding that “we encouraged the Minister to reach out to communities and let us help find solutions to support species at risk while growing our economy and helping BC prosper.”

    Per our BC Chamber adopted policies on the matter, our consortium addressed:
    • The need for more fulsome (and broad) engagement moving forward with Indigenous nations, local governments, industry and communities
    • The necessity of substantial and timely socioeconomic impact assessments in areas that may be affected by any management measures intended to help the caribou recover
    Our messages were received by the minister, and we are optimistic that meaningful action will be taken in the weeks and months ahead to address these above concerns.  The Minister stated he appreciates that chambers remain committed “support” organizations on the ground, when it comes to enabling deeper consultations moving forward.
     
    “Our network will continue to focus on strategies that protect both our iconic caribou and thriving local economies and communities,”  says Val Litwin, CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. “The BC Chamber and our member chambers look forward to continuing to work with the Province on this important file,”

    Chambers in attendance included: Dawson Creek, Revelstoke, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd, Sicamous, Prince George, Fort St. John, Tumbler Ridge. (Attending remotely were: Nakusp, Kelowna & Mackenzie)

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    For more information, please contact:
    Bev Vandersteen, Fort Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce
    P: 250 774-2956, E: bvandersteen@fortnelsonchamber.com

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