Creston residents will have another chance to talk to the province about the future of the Columbia River Treaty on Thursday. The Columbia River Treaty (CRT) local governments’ committee encourages Columbia Basin residents to attend the consultation workshop in Creston on Nov. 15. Workshops are also being held in Jaffray, Nelson, Trail, Nakusp, Revelstoke, Golden and Valemount.
These workshops are the next step in the province’s commitment to consult with the residents of the Columbia Basin to ensure their concerns are heard in the provincial review of the 1964 CRT between Canada and the U.S. Residents will learn about the initial results of the studies being done for the provincial review and can provide the province with feedback on the impact of CRT scenarios in the future and how those scenarios could affect local interests.
“The province has completed a number of important studies, including a report summarizing the available information about the socio-economic benefits and impacts of the CRT and analyses of the potential impacts of CRT scenarios on basin interests,” says Deb Kozak, CRT local governments’ committee chair and City of Nelson councilor. “It is essential that basin residents understand this information and express their views.”
The workshop will be held at the Creston and District Community Complex, with an open house with background Information from 6-6:30 p.m. followed by a presentation and discussion from 6:30-9.
Anyone interested can join the workshop in Trail online on Nov. 28. To find out more about the community and live stream events visit www.gov.bc.ca/columbiarivertreaty/events/2012-11.
These consultation workshops are free and registration is not required for the community events. Register for the online workshop at www.surveymonkey.com/s/rivertreaty.
“It is important that residents attend these provincial consultation workshops to provide their input on the new information the province has compiled,” says Kozak.
The CRT local governments’ committee includes representatives of regional districts from across the Canadian Columbia Basin. With the support of Columbia Basin Trust (CBT), the committee is working to help basin residents and local governments engage in decisions about the future of the CRT.
The Province’s studies about the range of benefits and impacts of the CRT on basin communities, the Columbia River basin region and the province as a whole and how environmental values are being considered in the review will be available on the CRT Review website at www.gov.bc.ca/columbiarivertreaty before the community consultation workshops begin.
To help build understanding and to support residents to engage in the provincial consultation, CBT is hosting online information sessions on Nov. 19 and 26. Register at www.cbt.org/crt/infosession.
—COLUMBIA BASIN TRUST