John Les, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, visited 100 Mile House on Sept. 15 to meet with local officials and business people as part of a "jobs tour" assigned him by Premier Christy Clark.
"The premier wants me to have these meetings in different communities and find out from people how we can best create jobs all over the province."
The five people who showed up to provide input into the premier's jobs plan were all members of the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce (SCCC).
Its membership had met the night before and discussed the main questions Les is asking on behalf of the premier, however, and Rick Takagi was there to brief him on their ideas.
100 Mile House Coun. Bill Hadden represented the district and Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett also attended.
Les started with a short presentation to highlight the economic strengths of British Columbia, what is working well now and what opportunities exist.
The main economic strong points he focused on were B.C.'s proximity in the Asia-Pacific Gateway, its natural mineral and energy resources, and its agriculture lands and knowledge base.
A discussion followed to explore ideas on various questions Les put forward as to what might facilitate more job creation, what barriers need to be broken down, and what the province needs to do to support communities to create economic and employment opportunities.
Takagi said it is really important to keep the Asian market open for the two major forest companies in the South Cariboo.
Two challenges those companies currently face are an upcoming timber supply review to determine the annual allowable cut (AAC), he explained, and some security issues arising for licensees.
"Those are going to be issues that we'd love to have the government's support on, that would be beneficial for both [forest] companies, and for one company in particular."
Les explained the Asian markets for B.C. "didn't happen by accident," but are the result of a good partnership and strong focus between government and the companies involved.
"I'd hate to think of where we'd be today without the Chinese market."
Takagi recounted several ideas from the SCCC for the government to stimulate the economy, including more tax incentives and streamlined areas of bureaucracy.
Last year's $10,000 home renovation tax credit seemed to boost the local building supply and hardware stores, he noted.
Providing more reasons for university graduates to return to the South Cariboo was another suggestion, Takagi noted, such as incentives for businesses that hire them.
Hadden said there are potential crops identified that can be successfully raised in the area, but with a 3,000-foot base elevation, supports are needed.
"We are continuously told by funding agencies we are too small, we don't qualify."
Hadden added the area land base is too limited to follow the global economic trend to maximize production and the minimize the unit cost.
"There's probably four ranches locally that could support a dairy farm, but you need incentives, you need help, you need ... to ensure you can get the product to market."
Les took note of these and other ideas presented to take back to the premier.