City officials network at UBCM - October 5 edition

Courtney Taylor

Cariboo Advisor

Mayor Cook and councilors are fresh back from networking with the Premier at the annual Union of BC Municipalities convention in Vancouver that wrapped up Friday.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” said Cook. “It was a great opportunity to connect with ministers and the Premier.

The UBCM convention is a chance for BC municipalities to network with Premier Clark and the Ministers through meetings, workshops, and Mayors roundtables.

Cook said she personally met with Premier Clark four times and said she really got her attention, and many of the Ministers she met with.

“Premier Clark even mentioned us in her closing message,” said Cook.

As well as meetings with the Premier and Ministers, Cook said they had an amazing meeting with acting Attorney General, Shirley Bond.

The meeting with Bond centered around the need for provincial support for a Crime Analyst position in Williams Lake and the need for a new funding formula for police-based Victim Services that better reflects the high case loads of the police and the courts in Williams Lake.

Mayor Cook gave a presentation in a workshop about strategies the help make communities safer, and afterwards was approached by the federal Regional Director National Crime Prevention Centre about applying for dollars which Cook said the City is following up on.

“(The conference) is well worth it to make all these connections,” said Cook. “It’s really inspiring to hear what other communities are doing, and to share what we have been doing.”

Mayor Cook said she thanked the Premier and Ministers for everything they have done for Williams Lake, and Cook feels her and council members made a lasting impression on Premier Clark