With the House of Commons on winter break, this past month I took part in several events and meetings throughout the riding.

Starting off in Fort Nelson, I met with the District Council to discuss infrastructure needs in the region. I will be bringing these needs to the attention of the Infrastructure Minister as we resume Parliament.

Next up was the annual BC Natural Resource Forum in Prince George. There I had the opportunity to meet with industry leaders and officially thank former federal minister Stockwell Day for his key note speech on the need for regulatory reform. Following the Forum, I met with the Prince George City Council to discuss the city’s priorities moving forward.

Then, I was back in Fort Nelson to announce an investment in upgrades to an eight kilometre stretch of the Alaska Highway in the Fort Nelson area.

Heading back to Prince George, I met up with the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, to take part in an economic consultation with the Prince George Chamber of Commerce and then a visit to the Pineview Firehall to promote the new non-refundable tax credit for volunteer firefighters.

From there, it was off to Fort St. John to announce $980,000 in gas tax funding to assist the Peace River Regional District in constructing a gas management facility at the Fort St. John Landfill.

While in Fort St. John I met with the City Council to discuss future plans for the city and gave a speech to the Chamber of Commerce highlighting our Government’s priorities in 2012 and to discuss important initiatives we have introduced to assist small business owners. I also met with the North Peace Rod and Gun Club to talk about the Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act and to address other concerns.

I then headed to Dawson Creek, where I held my first passport clinic. That afternoon we were able to help approximately 70 residents with their passport applications. The clinic also provided me with the opportunity to meet with constituents one-on-one to answer any other questions they may have had. While my offices in Fort St. John and Prince George offer help with passport applications every day, with a riding as large as ours, I will be providing similar clinics to residents throughout the riding in the near future.

And finally, it was off to Tumbler Ridge where I announced $265,000 in funding for the Palaeontology Research Centre and tour the facility.

It’s been a busy month, but I am grateful for the opportunity to meet and spend time with so many people – whether it was during a scheduled meeting, or while standing in line at Tim Horton’s – and I am looking forward to doing similar tours in the future.

As always, if you would like to get in touch with me, please feel free to contact my office in Fort St. John at 250-787-1194, Prince George at 250-561-7982, or Ottawa at 613-947-4524.