Well Golden, it may not be much of a surprise to many of you that I’m announcing my departure from The Golden Star and Golden to work at a daily newspaper in Nelson.
To those of you unaware of this news - surprise!
Originally I had planned to use this space to express my fondness for this place and the people who live here, as well as the regrets I feel about leaving.
But I’ve decided it would be selfish of me to use my last few precious inches of space as a place for self indulgence.
Instead, I want to talk about the magical event that took place at Lady Grey Elementary School last Thursday night - the Rivers At Risk forum put on by local groups like the Council of Canadians Golden Chapter and Wildsight.
The Rivers at Risk forums, which are being held all over the Kootenays, are aimed at informing residents of the region about the privately owned run-of-river hydroelectric facilities popping up on creeks and rivers across the province without the consent of British Columbians.
Approaching the event, late as usual, the first thing that gave me cause to believe there was something special going on was the variety of vehicles outside.
Usually at an event dealing with ‘saving the rivers,’ the majority of cars parked outside are fuel-conserving imports like Volkswagens and Subarus. But interspersed amongst the small cars outside Lady Grey were an almost equal number of SUVs and trucks.
And once inside, it was clear that the 200-or-so people attending the event represented a good cross-section of Goldenites.
What was even more thrilling was knowing this was a community-created event which brought people together to learn more about a provincial issue directly affecting them.
People listened to speakers, perused the displays for information, asked questions of the experts on-hand, and talked amongst themselves.
Through the questions asked, it’s clear locals are truly concerned about the fate of the Blaeberry River if the proposed David Thompson Power Project goes ahead in the area near Thompson Falls. And locals seem equally concerned about the fate of our rivers in general, energy security, and the underhanded means the provincial government has used to sneak nearly 500 private power projects past British Columbians without notice.
One long-time Golden resident I spoke to at the event told me it was the most well-attended public meeting he has seen in his time here.
I think that speaks volumes for the organizers of the event, especially the volunteers from the Council of Canadians who pounded the pavement and beat the bushes to get this issue out to the public, and then brought the public in to learn about it.
This is an issue that’s become near and dear to me through my research and the articles I’ve done for The Golden Star.
I won’t be here to follow the issue in the community,but know that I plan to continue my work on IPPs in the West Kootenays.
Though I’m leaving, know that I’ve enjoyed my time here in Golden, and I looked down the road both ways long and hard - and moving on is something I have to do.
I wish this town, with all it’s incredible people, mountains and rivers all the best as I leave, and know I’ll be back as often as I can.