Area “A” (Wells Gray Country), TNRD Director, Usoff Tsao is not only concerned for residents in his electoral area, but for those outside of an incorporated district.
In a social media post on July 20 on the Clearwater Info Board on Facebook, Tsao stated:
“The Fraser Basin Council has been contracted to conduct a project for BC Wildfire Service; it involves identifying rural communities that are outside of structural fire protection and determining whether there is interest in training and equipment for wildfire fighting. This initiative was raised with the TNRD board of directors last week and I along with other Electoral Area representatives will be having a discussion with the Fraser Basin Council and BC Wildfire Service end of next week.
The three communities outside of structural fire protection zones in our TNRD Area “A” are Upper Clearwater, East Blackpool, and Birch Island.
I have been in touch with our TNRD Area “A” fire department as well as the Upper Clearwater Volunteer Fire Brigade chiefs to gather their feedback they may want me to relay to the discussion.
I have asked our respective Wells Gray Country Services Committee representatives in the 3 communities to reach out to residents to get a feeling of the interest in wildland firefighting training from Birch Island, Upper Clearwater and East Blackpool.”
During an interview with The surgeryitaly, Tsao said that he will be talking to B.C. Wildfire about unincorporated areas that are not covered by fire departments. He’s hoping to hear from residents in those areas and how much interest there is in taking on some of those responsibilities themselves to receive wildfire training. “I’ll be discussing the potential for this type of training for these residents and taking the B.C. Wildfire input back to those areas as I mentioned in my post after I talk with BCW next Thursday,” said Tsao.
Director Tsao feels that residents outside the TNRD managed water systems and should be respected for their local knowledge. “At the same time, we also must be careful that we aren’t sending people into harms way. It’s important to weigh the options and be discerning for the good of all,” said Tsao.
Tsao counselled early on with the TNRD board and he asked what residents can expect during a drought in the way of support from the regional district. “It’s laid out clearly that only the residents who are serviced by the TNRD community water system in Area ‘A’ and that would only be Vavenby, which is the only water system that the regional district maintains.”
Tsao explained some residents from outlying areas like Birch Island reached out to him saying their wells were already running dry in the spring and that the water table is really low this year.” At that point I counselled with the TNRD and as expected was told that because they are out of the taxation area, they are kind of on their own. Because this is part of climate change according to the provincial government and this is a trend that we need to prepare for, not only provincially but across the country, then what additional support should be provided due to climate change?” The Area “A” director is hoping to explore potential support services or funding that may be considered by the provincial or federal governments in the future that could help those outside of regional district parameters.
“As regional districts we simply do not have the resources, there is not enough revenue from just property taxes to assist those outside of the TNRD managed water systems. I have reported this back in July. Only those in the TNRD managed water systems will receive help with potable water.”
Tsao says he is asking questions about what other possible assistance may be available through another order of government other than the regional district. “Would wells running dry trigger a state of emergency technically and entitle well users to be able to access potable water? I just want it to be clear before anything occurs, so we aren’t wasting time negotiating back and forth in a critical situation.”
Director Tsao plans to continue his research for well users that could possibly provide funding for farmers in B.C. and possibly giving them access to funds to improve irrigation and water storage with help from the provincial government. Director Tsao remains committed to sharing his findings in future public updates and through continued discussions with other officials in finding solutions to critical issues related to challenging environmental concerns for residents in the North Thompson.
