March 12, 2024

Community Conversation-Shuswap Fire

Officials of Columbia Shuswap Regional District {CSRD} have begun a series of community conversations about Bush Creek East Wildfire. The meetings are divided into four in-person meetings, two virtual sessions, and an online response survey. All of this is facilitated by a private consulting company, Monogram Communications, based in Prince George. As per contract, this private corporation will collect information and create a report for CSRD.

The goal is to generate continuous improvement, and feedback from the public is supposed to be a very important piece of doing that. As official of CSRD stated on the website :” We are undertaking this exercise now so that we can implement some, but likely not all, suggestions for improvement for the 2024 fire season. Some changes might be easy to put in place, others might take longer.”

https://csrd.civilspace.io/en/projects/community-conversation-bush-creek-east-wildfire

On Thursday night, March 7^th, Sorrento Memorial Hall hosted the first of these meetings. Approximately twenty concerned local residents attended. They were welcomed by CSRD staff and a member of private security company Vadium Security Inc. This company made almost $90 000 Cad from CSRD during the fire in previous year, for provided services, including assistance for roadblocks.

CSRD staff, including on-call firefighters and private company Monogram Communications, covered the plans for various stages of action regarding wildfires such as fire hazards and prevention, communication, and evacuation alerts and orders. Multiple boards, flyers and bulletins were available for the public. After a short presentation focused on the prevention and cooperation, people were encouraged to look over the outlined stages and provide the feedback. During the event, “free” coffee and cookies were available.

However, all that set up was just for promotion of government agenda, paid by the taxpayers. The message that they welcome cooperation only by their own rules, and their orders must be obeyed, was clear. Of course, all staff was satisfied with the job what they did in the last year.

Another public meeting about wildfires occurred in Kamloops, March 6^th, led by Jim Cooperman. The event, called Shuswap Firestorm Public Policy Forum, was held in Clock Tower Theatre. Author Jim Cooperman; Alan Willcocks, former natural resource director; Karl Bischoff, logger and rancher; and Jay Simpson, regional director, presented much more valuable information.

Spring is here, and we don’t know what the season will bring. But we should always maintain common sense and act practically, as our ancestors did before the advent of multilevel bureaucracy. If there is fire on the mountain, have it put it out right away, when it is small, and with all possible resources available. Let neighbours help each other, be wise with our natural resources, and get the job done. And remember, “fire is good servant, but a bad boss.”

DB, NA