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DIRECTORS’ NOTICE OF NEW BUSINESS

To: Chair and Directors Date: December 5, 2019

From: Director Rose, Electoral Area ‘E’

Subject: Caribou Leadership Table

PURPOSE / ISSUE:
That the Regional Board provide its comments and/or direction regarding the provincial Draft Partnership
Agreement process.

RECOMMENDATION / ACTION: [Corporate Unweighted]

That the report dated December 5, 2019 from Director Rose, Electoral Area ‘E’, titled ‘Caribou Leadership
Table’, be received for discussion.

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
I travelled to Vancouver to attend a meeting on November 29, 2019. The purpose of the meeting was to
represent the PRRD board at a leadership table created by the province. I met with West Moberly Chief
Roland Willson, Saulteau Chief Ken Cameron, area mayors Dale Bumstead, Allan Courtoreille, Keith
Bertrand, Raye MacKeagan from Mackenzie and Lori Ackerman was on the phone. Blair Lekstrom was
there as well as forestry, mining, oil and gas and a bunch of deputy ministers. I was there with other local
govt. representatives to find out if there is any appetite on the part of the province to reopen, alter, add to
or reconstruct the Draft Partnership Agreement on the recovery of central mountain caribou to allow local
govt. and stakeholders a way forward to meaningful participation in Caribou recovery. We all asked that
question several times and several different ways and could not get an answer from the province. We
asked if local govt. could be included in some way that would allow us to contribute to the agreement. No
answer, other than a discussion about much work that needed to be done and maybe we could fit in or
participate on lower level committees. When the govt. was asked if the work on socio-economic impacts
and back country closures as well as land use objectives could be completed before the Draft was finalized,
again we could not get a yes or a no. The whole exercise was very frustrating and consensus afterward was
that it was a waste of time and probably we went backwards instead of forward. Our message was
consistent. LET US IN. The province says they will release their socio-economic study soon and reach out to
communities to fill in gaps and “drill down “a little deeper into the subject. We asked again before or after
the Draft Agreement was signed. Once again no answer. I will ask the board for direction and comment at
the next board meeting. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions.

Director: Acknowledged for Agenda by CAO: Page 1 of 1

December 13, 2019