When I reflect on the year that was 2023, I find it somewhat hard to believe that it was only a year ago that we had welcomed a new SLRD Board, following the 2022 General Local Election.
As a new and larger Board (a third Director position was added from the District of Squamish), we approached 2023 with eager anticipation for the work that was ahead. In what feels like a blink, the SLRD team has completed a tremendous amount of work, inking bylaws, zoning amendments, agreements, grant applications, funding agreements and partnerships that will have lasting implications for our region. We’ve committed funds toward moving regional transit forward, we will deliver a regional housing forum, and projects like the Tiger Bay Development Corporation Official Community Plan and Zoning Amendment Application Bylaws that represented more than a decade of hard work and due diligence were moved across the finish line. We’ve implemented systems and programs to improve our communications and engagement and customer service, and we’ve grown as a team, to be able to meet the growing needs of our communities.
We expected to be busy, and challenged, but none of us could have anticipated the unprecedented events of the summer and fall, that prompted the SLRD’s longest-ever Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activation and ongoing response. I would be remiss, as I look back on 2023 and all of the work that was accomplished, to not acknowledge the size and scope of the impact that the summer’s wildfire season had on our region, and in particular, communities in Electoral Area A of the SLRD.
On behalf of the SLRD Board of Directors, I would like to publicly express our sincere condolences to the SLRD residents who suffered structure loss or damage as a result of the 2023 wildfire events and to the communities that witnessed, firsthand, the devastation that wildfire can bring. Whether it’s through your own personal loss, or the loss experienced by your neighbour, or your broader community, it would not be an exaggeration to say that entire communities have been affected.
I toured the Gun Lake area with a number of SLRD staff members, and Electoral Area A Director Sal DeMare in September and again with fellow Board members in November. To stand amongst the aftermath in some of the most damaged areas of the community was extremely impactful and I can only imagine the range of emotions that are being felt by those most affected by these fires. Our hearts go out to each and every one of you.
We so appreciate everyone who contributed positively during the course of the wildfire events this summer. Whether a first responder, SLRD staff member, community member, a neighbour helping another neighbour, or a traveler who stayed out of the area and out of the way – we appreciate you.
As we continue to work through the recovery process, we are grateful for the patience of the community, and for the collaboration of the many provincial partners and agencies who have come to the table to help us navigate this long and challenging road. I am also grateful to our team at the SLRD. The EOC is staffed by SLRD employees, who do whatever is required to respond to these situations. We have had employees working around the clock, through weekends and holidays, first in the response phase and now on the recovery, and I am extremely proud of our team, and humbled by their continued dedication.
As the end of 2023 draws near, I’d like to thank our communities for your ongoing support and your patience with us. We’re always striving to improve our service to our communities and we look forward to this continued work with all of you.
Jen Ford
Chair, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District