Prince George, BC – Local government representatives have elected a new president and board of directors at the North Central Local Government Association's Annual General Meeting, which wrapped up in Fort St John yesterday.  With a number of major potential resource developments on the horizon for the region, the newly elected President sees it as the association's job to present a united front in ensuring the issues that arise from those developments are addressed – issues like a shortage of healthcare professionals and well-maintained roads.

After serving as First Vice-President last year, Vanderhoof City Councillor Brian Frenkel, has been elected President, replacing outgoing President Bruce Christensen of Fort St. John.  Held in the 'Energy Capital of BC', the theme of this year's 59th annual agm was 'Share the Energy' and the new president says the challenge in the year ahead is not only to remember the assets the region boasts, but to properly manage what lies ahead.

"Not only do we have to remember the assets that we have – whether that's mining, forestry, or BC Ferry service, and agricultural land and parks – but we're going to have opportunities that we probably haven't ever seen before," says Frenkel.  "In Fort St John that focus is on LNG and it seems to be that a lot of the northern part of the province could benefit from that."

He points out the NCLGA represents two-thirds of the province.  "So we are going to advocate, where we can, for more umbrella issues, such as healthcare, transportation, communication – those things that affect every region equally."

As part of the AGM, delegates were given the opportunity to tour a natural gas operational camp and drilling rig on Wednesday, while a session yesterday examined the impact work camps have on nearby communities.  "Definitely, that's one of the biggest concerns we have.  We call them 'shadow populations' and we started talking about it down at UBCM (the Union of BC Municipalities) last year," says Frenkel. "A lot of these communities have no real say in where these 500 to 5000-person camps go and they end up using your services."

"If there's issues from healthcare to policing, or anything like that, it puts a drain on where we're headed," says the new NCLGA President.  And I don't want people to say, 'Well, that's growth and that's the way it is.' We just want the government to recognize it does affect the community.  "If Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Vanderhoof, whoever, has a 500 or 1000-person camp on them, do they have the wherewithal and the assets to deal with medical emergencies, for example."

"We know that lots of people don't have doctors, but if you put 1000 people outside of your town that might need some attention and we're struggling with meeting the needs of the residents, you've just added a thousand people to the list and that's where we need help."

Delegates at the association's AGM supported all 25 resolutions brought forward by community members – the majority focused on the 'umbrella' issues.  One resolution points out that northern BC residents consistently declare that road maintenance fails to meet travellers' needs, yet road maintenance contractors are meeting their contractual obligations, so the NCLGA is calling on the Minister of Transportation to revise provincial standards for future road maintenance contracts.  Another calls on the provincial government to allow communities to include 'shadow' populations in their overall population count to allow municipalities some financial recourse for the additional pressure on local services.  Members also want to see the province lobbied for a reliable air ambulance service in rural and remote communities in the far north.  The resolutions will go to the UBCM's AGM for further support.

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The NCLGA's new Board of Directors for 2014-2015 is:

President – Brian Frenkel, Vanderhoof

First Vice-President – Dr. Bruce Bidgood, Terrace

Second Vice-President – Jerrilyn Schembri, Tumbler Ridge

Directors at Large – Raj Basran, McBride

                                Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, Quesnel

                                Shaely Wilbur, Dawson Creek

Directors appointed from regional districts –

Bulkley-Nechako:  Mayor Luke Strimbold, Burns Lake

Cariboo:  Joan Sorley, Cariboo Regional District, Area F

Fraser-Fort George:  Mayor Mike Frazier, McBride

Kitimat-Stikine:  Mayor Alice Maitland, Hazelton

Northern Rockies:  Kim Eglinski, Northern Rockies Regional Municipality

Peace River:  Byron Stewart, Fort St John

Skeena-Queen Charlotte:  Dave MacDonald, Port Edward