An ongoing pandemic, complete with restrictions and mandates that have divided communities and families, an unprecedented heat dome, wildfires on a scale never before seen in BC, followed by atmospheric rivers that caused massive flooding and mudslides. That pretty much describes the year we’ve had.
But in the midst of it all, we saw time and time again the good in people. This was especially evident during the wildfires and flooding/mudslide events. We saw the best of humanity as people stepped up to assist those impacted by these events. Bless them!
Even with the disruptions, we did see cause for celebration on a number of fronts in the Village of Clinton. Our long-anticipated seniors’ supportive housing project, Clinton Creek Estates, was completed and welcomed residents in early November. Kudos to Judy Hampton and her dedicated team for their countless hours of work on this project. It is such an asset to our community.
Several streets in Clinton were paved this summer, some of which had not seen any new paving for several decades. The construction also started on a much-needed new Public Works Building. It will be so much better for our Public Works crew and equipment to be housed in one place. The Parks and Recreation Masterplan was completed, giving council a guide to follow to improve parks, trails, and recreational facilities in the village.
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Council recently approved the naming of a previously unnamed lane in the Village. One end of the lane faces the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #194. Council approved naming this lane “Vimy Lane” to honour Clinton veterans. The Village and Legion will hold an appropriate unveiling of the new street signage, tentatively set for April 2022 (the anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge).
I commend our Village staff for always stepping up and doing what is needed to be done to keep essential operations maintained while also making progress on ongoing projects during challenging times. We have a great team who work well together to get things done.
Our businesses have been challenged in so many ways during the pandemic and disasters. I thank them all for managing to keep their doors open and welcome the new ones that have opened. I encourage local shopping to show our businesses that we do appreciate them.
During these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we be supportive of each other. The events of the past year have been very exhausting, physically, emotionally, and mentally. We don’t know what troubles anyone else may be dealing with so above all, please be kind and patient as we continue to navigate through the changes together.
Merry Christmas and here’s hoping for a good New Year for all.
newsroom@100milefreepress.net
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