On Thursday, July 7, B.C.’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, Nathan Cullen and Ministerial Advisor Ashley McKay, made a stop in Barriere after accepting an invitation from District of Barriere Mayor Ward Stamer to tour the municipality. Cullen was elected MLA for Stikine in the 2020 provincial election.
Barriere’s CAO Bob Payette also accompanied the tour which included stops at municipal hall, breakfast at a restaurant in the downtown core, a walk around the weekly Farmer’s Market on the lawns at Sam’s Pizza and Rib House, and a tour of the wastewater treatment plant on Barriere Town Road.
The Star/Journal caught up with Minister Cullen at the Farmer’s Market where he was chatting with vendors, making a purchase of hot pepper jelly, and “getting a sense of the community”.
Cullen explained he was in Barriere on behalf of the provincial government.
“We wanted to put some real attention to some of the smaller communities in B.C.,” said Cullen. “Not to just talk about the opportunities, but also the challenges that a lot of small towns face. Their infrastructure, and what these communities want to be.
“In places like Barriere and Clearwater you can see so much has changed in a short time. We always want to be helpful, we’ve put a lot of infrastructure money and other supports into communities and we want to make sure we stay that way, but do it right. And to me that means learning what the communities need, and how to build it, and how to do it the way that it will actually do what we hoped. I feel a hopefulness and small town ambition as to what is possible.”
The minister says he is currently traveling through a number of B.C.’s smaller communities, “to get a feel for them and for what they need”.
“We have lots of proposals, and we’re working on some in the Interior right now, and maybe some to come,” said Cullen. “Seeing is believing, and we can’t do this all on Zoom or phone calls, you have to come and spend a little bit of time.”
Cullen added he lives in a small town in the northern part of the province.
“We also have lots of geniuses from Ottawa and Victoria telling us how we should do things, but there is something about just having a bit of a relationship and talking about the future of Barriere and advocating for what it wants,” said the Minister, “Mayor Stamer has been pushing for that, and now I can picture the town, and I can come back and bring the kids and enjoy the place as well.”
Mayor Stamer noted that Barriere is currently applying for grant funding to improve the wastewater system, and to build affordable housing in the heart of the community.
Does the minister have any vision in regards to what Barriere is aspiring to?
“The town has some real solid ambitions,” said Cullen. “Housing has to be built that is affordable in the marketplace, and some of those key pieces are needed around septic and sewer, and the ability to actually build into what Barriere can be. There is just a lot of interest around small town B.C. right now for people looking for a better quality of life.”
Cullen was asked to comment in regards to aging seniors in rural areas who eventually have to leave their farms and move into town. But if there is no accommodation available in town due to a shortage of affordable housing, that then means the seniors have to go to Kamloops or other communities where they know no one. This results in a number of seniors staying where they are if they cannot find affordable housing closer to the amenities they require, which over time may impact their quality of life.
“Yes, that’s what we are seeing in communities all across,” said Cullen, “For many people that normal transition now ends, which just isn’t the place to be. You want that transition for people, especially in their later years where they can still be around family and their community. We know it keeps you healthier, and it keeps you happier. But if there is not a place for you to be, then that is not possible.
“So I see what Barriere is trying to do, and I am really, really supportive of it.”
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