Columbia River Revelstoke MLA Doug Clovechok, in his capacity as Tourism critic for the BC Liberals, has just returned from a trip to the Cariboo Chilcotin, along with fellow MLAs John Rusted and Donna Barnett to speak with people on the ground in the areas hard hit by forest fires this summer.
He came away with an understanding of just how serious the situation still is, and how many problems will linger after the fires are finally out.
“There are places up there that look like a nuclear explosion went off,” he said. “Houses just vaporized, and then in front you’ll see flowers blooming in a pot. My first impression is that the people of the Cariboo Chilcotin are steadfast, stoic, proud and so resilient.
“I toured around and I met with 25 to 30 tour operators. Tour operators are reporting the year as almost a complete loss. They’ve had cancellations. People are scared they are going to get in there and then be trapped. Small operators are reporting a year to year loss of about $20,000. A bigger one reports being $400,000 down this summer. But a bigger operator can absorb the loss, a lot of the smaller ones can’t.”
Clovechok says that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has provided the tourism association in the Cariboo with $200,000 to try to get the word out immediately that there are lots of tourism destinations that are still open. But much more is going to be needed.
“Dealing with this is a complicated multi-ministry effort. It involves FLNRO, Transportation, Environment and more.”
In addition to speaking with those in the tourism industry, Clovechok spent time with those in the heat of the battle — firefighers, conservation officers, Canadian Armed Forces personnel and people from around the world.
“I had some conversations with Canadian military,” he said. “They are using armoured personnel carriers with sensors for IEDs. They drive them through looking for hotspots.”
Although it may seem as if the situation has calmed down some, it is far from over, Clovechok says.
“The Plateau fires have merged. The only thing that will put it out is winter. There are still people on evacuation alert. Conditions are improving but they are still very volatile.”
And there are some issues that need government attention, he says.
“You have contractors running heavy equipment, some of them since July 1 and they haven’t been paid. To be fair, nobody has seen anything like this before and the process is bogging down. But I will be speaking to the Minister about this tomorrow.
“I’ve met with the Mexican contingent, firefighters from New Zealand, Ontario, the United States. We’ve got people from all over the world in on this effort. And I am so grateful to them. But where’s our leadership?
“The Minister of Tourism was there the day before I was, meeting with people, and I give her credit for that. People need to tell their stories, they need to vent. But the member from Juan de Fuca, John Horgan — I refuse to call him Premier — he was here for a photo op. Where is he today? He’s at a fundraising golf tournament for his party. He needs to be working for British Columbians, not playing golf.”
Clovechok says he will be returning to the Cariboo to speak to First Nations people in the near future.