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Babine Lake Community Forest visits Burns Lake

“It cost the tax payers of the province about $600,000 to put in the Granisle Park,” Said Frederick Clarke.
Babine Lake Community Forest visits Burns Lake
Sonia and Frederick Clarke representing the Babine Lake Community Forest were in Burns Lake on Jan. 21

“It cost the tax payers of the province - one way or another - about $600,000 to put in the Granisle Park,” Said Frederick Clarke, Babine Lake Community Forest director.

“There’s a little more than 300 people in Granisle. That comes out to about $1700 per person. If you give industrial development the same priority in the region, and there's about 38,000 people in the region, that would mean the government should be quite happy to give us $68 million dollars.”

Clarke and the Babine Lake Community Forest are spear-heading a drive to generate interest in the potential for an industrial innovation centre right in Topley, just west of Burns Lake.

While $68 million in provincial funding may just be Clarke’s way of pegging a value to the project relative to other investments in the region - he’s not banking on $68 million in funding - his point is that innovation should be funded and promoted as aggressively as other economic diversification projects, like boosting tourism or building trails.

Clarke was in Burns Lake late last January to invite the Village of Burns Lake to participate in a planned innovation centre forum. Clarke, and his wife Sonia, have been visiting regional municipalities to garner support for an innovation centre at the now closed Topley elementary school.

Clarke has already approached School District 91 to see if they were interested in selling the school. The school board was receptive to the idea, Clarke said.

“We’ve had much interest shown in the project,” Clarke said. “People want to know more of the proposal details. Feedback has been positive.”

One of Clarke’s core arguments for regional participation in the project centres on what he describes as a deep flaw in the current resource export model Northern B.C. forestry is based on - energy and fuel-related costs.

“What will happen as the price of energy increases?” Clarke asked.

“Rural communities are at a particular risk to rising fuel costs. In the long run, fuel prices will only go up. We need to look at adding small scale, local, value-added industries. Smaller communities will have to be broader and much more well-developed.”

Possibilities for the proposed Topley innovation centre include a wood-drying kiln to dry lumber to furniture grade for local use, computer numerical controlled (CNC) machinery, 3D printing technology, and resources to help inventors make their ideas into reality.

“There’s no one to help take ideas from concept to reality,” he added.

“If someone comes up with a good idea that could be financially rewarding, and it could be anybody in the community, the innovation centre is where you model these things and make a trial market.”

“There are many opportunities, but nobody is taking them up,” Clarke said. “We need to raise the profile of innovation.”

“I'm asking [local governments] to make a resolution or motion to attend a formative meeting to take a look at the idea. We need meetings to allow people to talk and give guidance. Every community has to see something in it for themselves.”

Village of Burns Lake council agreed to give the subject more consideration at a later council meeting.