Blogging off for a couple

I am off to the Cariboo this weekend to see what I can see. Lots happening with the mountain pine beetle, the gateway to the North highway projects, expanded gaming and deals with first nations, not to mention the issues around the Kith and Kin arrangements that has made so much news of late.

If the government changes something, it affects someone in the Cariboo. It is a unique area, one that is independent in many aspects. I will check in with the new MLA's for the area, Charlie Wyse and Bob Simpson.

Recently Wyse wrote the Premier over the government's plan to move childrens mental health programs to the Ministry of Health, a clear rejection of the Gove report recomendations of 10 years ago. The government relented and the services for children's mental health will remain in Children and Families. Good work Charlie.

Simpson has been all over the government's poor planning over mountain pine beetle. The Liberals created a government caucus committee that spent two years looking at what to do. The result appears to be a vague 10 year plan. Simpson will be pushing for more definitive planning.


I am also hopeful I will run into Walt Cobb the former Liberal MLA and find out what he is up too these days. With any luck David Zirnhelt, the former Minister of Forests and three term MLA for Cariboo and Cariboo South, will be in town as well or a short trip out to Beaver Valley may be in order, the place that David has his ranch and woodlot.

Current city councillor Scott Nelson or Scotty to many of us is setting himself up to run for mayor. Scotty is an out and out Liberal, having won the nomination in 2000 to run as the Liberal candidate in the 2001 election. He resigned the nomination due to health and personal reasons and Walt Cobb won the battle to replace him.

Ivan Bonnell, former Mayor and councillor may also be seeking the mayor's chair in Williams Lake. He is pretty pragmatic but people see him as too left, nothing could be further from the truth, Ivan is a straight shooter, left of centre and was instrumental in encouraging Charlie Wyse to run for the NDP nomination in the last provincial election. People in Williams Lake would do well to elect Ivan if he runs.

I will also check in on local redneck with a heart, Ernie Engemoen, editor of the Advertiser. Does any editor work harder than Ernie, I doubt it. Ernie has a gift to for putting words together and should be writing for someone with a larger readership. I suspect he would generate a great deal of interest and reaction. He and Cheryl seem to like their world as it is. Likely why he so interesting. It's my hope I can get some of his insights online here in the future for more of you to enjoy.

I may not post here until Wednesday next week. Check out past articles here, federal or provincial. It is easy, type a word or two in the technorati search box in the sidebar and if I have anything on my blog it will find it.

Hint: If you type Stephen Harper, BC Liberals, Gordon Campbell, Lorne Mayencourt, Mary Polak, Christian (anything), I suspect you will get pages of stuff!

Photo's from my last trip to the Cariboo. The top is Williams Lake as seen from the Stampede grounds. The second is my step-daughter Stephanie in the wheel chair set at the entrance to the lake city. The final picture is road work near Lac la Hache, with longest mainstreet in BC!