A contingent of city councillors and Mayor Nancy Cooper are at the Vancouver Convention Centre this week, mingling with other municipal politicians at the annual Union of BC Municipalities Convention, hoping for an audience with cabinet ministers.
Also attending is Lana Fitt, manager of Salmon Arm’s economic development society, who Cooper says will speak about the proposed innovation centre as well as ideas for community engagement.
“We’re really proud she’s been asked to speak,” Cooper said late last week. “I’m looking forward to supporting her on that, being there to cheer her on.”
Keynote speaker will be Terry Milewski, veteran CBC broadcast journalist.
As for meetings with ministers, Cooper said she would see Selina Robinson, minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, at the mayors’ caucus.
Cooper is pleased that Robinson left a message at her office prior to the convention, saying “she was looking forward to talking to us about our local (housing) needs.”
She said the meeting might not take place at the convention, depending on timing.
Joining Cooper are councillors Tim Lavery, Louise Wallace Richmond, Chad Eliason and Ken Jamieson. Jamieson will attend only a couple of days of the convention but will be taking part in an agricultural tour as chair of the city’s agricultural committee.
Kevin Flynn is away, and Alan Harrison is busy with start-of-the-school-year duties.
Cooper said she hopes to have a meeting with the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations ministry to continue to urge the maintaining of Salmon Arm’s Rapattack base.
The Ministry of Transportation will also be on the list, in order to keep the highway expansion at the west end of town in the forefront.
The convention wraps up on Friday, Sept. 29.