Cariboo RD weighs Mediation Option for Rural Fire dispute

As I suspected would happen - CRD CAO Janis Bell speaks on the mediation option, as proposed by the City of Williams Lake, to resolve the Rural Fringe Fire Protection dispute and the need to think about the best way to move forward.  As submission of surveys has now expired, I expect that CRD Directors J. Sorley, B. Kemp and D. Bischoff and CRD Staff will review the results & hear from the Cariboo RD lawyers' and then take those tabulated survey results to the CRD's Feb 12th meeting with rural fringe residents as to decide the next step forward

From the Rush:

The Cariboo Regional District will contact it's lawyers in response to a recent vote by Williams Lake City Council.

The vote which passed stated that the City of Williams Lake would support an independent mediator taking part in talks between it and the CRD on the Fringe Fire Protection Program.

Janis Bell, Chief Administrative Officer for the CRD, says she thinks it is a bit premature to commit to mediation at this stage.

Bell says they haven't compiled the results from the public meeting that they had a week or so ago and she says they are certainly interested in where the public wants them to go and in taking those recomendations to the Board for consideration.

Bell says they aren't going to rule out any options like mediation at this point but she says they certainly can't make any commitments either.

She says she is encouraged however, to see that the city is interested in resolving the issue.