The meeting was held last Saturday at the Burns Lake and District Chamber of Commerce and was one of 10 similar meetings to held across the Northwest region as part of the tour.
The meeting, which was held in a group discussion format gave local residents the opportunity to present their vision for Burns Lake for 2011, as well as for the future.
"What is important to you and why," Cullen asked local residents.
He went on to say that Canada is now competing in a global market and things have to change dramatically. "We have been through a period of economic upheaval and our way of life in the North has been threatened," he added.
"For too long now towns have been competing with towns, Prince George competes with Vanderhoof, Smithers competes with Burns Lake. We are in a global market and have to look past competing within our region," he added.
Cullen also discussed the issue of health care. He said that while healthcare is funded from the federal budget, the federal government has a very limited amount of control over what the money is spent on in each province.
"The federal government cuts a cheque to the province to fund health care. Ottawa doesn't get to say to B.C. you need to hire 100 more doctors, so here is the money for it," he said.
"It used to be that way, but not any more. There are positives and negatives to the situation," he added.
Meeting attendees were asked to divide into groups and discuss what they felt are the two most important topics for Burns Lake now and for Burns Lake in the future.
Among the topics reported back to Cullen were funding for the hospital replacement project and doctor retention, more hydro capacity to attract businesses, better cell phone and internet coverage in the North, another railway line or more pull outs to better service local industry and better quality of education in Burns Lake, with the possibility of a private school system in the area.
Transportation infrastructure and better access roads for industry as well as the need for a local addictions centre and better fuel mitigation procedures for wildfire season were also topics brought up by local residents during the meeting.
The harmonized sales tax (HST) was also briefly discussed.
"Last year the HST was a hot topic, the public are interesting - one day it is an obsession the next day it is not," Cullen said.
Locals said they felt that Northern Health should be brought to task for the condition of the hospital and also for the working conditions of the local doctors.
They said to Cullen that a local hospital administrator is needed as well as more partnerships between local First Nations groups and local industry for funding opportunities for the hospital.
"We have a lot of industry here, forestry is a dangerous profession and the hospital will not function well without an emergency room," said a local resident.
Dr. Alan Hill, who was in attendance at the meeting said that Burns Lake appears to be at the end of the supply chain.
"Houston is better served out of Smithers than we are out of Prince George," he said.
"Losing our hospital administrator was huge," added Cindy Shelford, Lakes Economic Development Association's economic development officer.
Local residents also discussed the decrease in local services available in Burns Lake.
"Services have been made regional rather than local," said a local resident.
"There is a slow steady erosion of service but there isn't a slow steady erosion of tax dollars," Cullen agreed.
Locals told Cullen that businesses are not going to set up shop in the local area because the hydro infrastructure is undersized.
"Who is going to come here if they have to pay to supply their own power," a local resident asked Cullen.
Cullen said he understood that this was an issue for Burns Lake. "It happened here recently with Core Biofuels, they went to Houston because of hydro supply issues," Cullen said.
"There is a general feeling that this region has been short changed," Cullen added.
Cullen said he looks at all the issues brought to him in each community during his economic forum tour. He said he will be taking a number of key issues from the discussions and will present them in Ottawa in the form of a bill.
"I want ideas to come from the people that live in the Northwest rather than Ottawa," Cullen said adding, "Usually decisions are made in little dark rooms with a bunch of lobbyists firing in their ideas."
"Locals know what is important to them, it is their present and their future," Cullen added.