The mayor of Clearwater says he is getting some face time with the Forest Minister for the first time today since the Vavenby mill shut down was announced.

Merlin Blackwell was asked what he plans to relay to Doug Donaldson.

“I want to relay to him, Clearwater is a good place to come, it’s a good place to invest. There are things that we can do here to soften the blow to transition fairly easily and it will be good investments for the province of B.C. It’s time to come up here and start meeting the people, and coming with basically a future plan for the North Thompson valley,” Blackwell says.

“And some of that plan is going to involve alternative uses of wood and milling and secondary wood products. So it’s not the death of forestry in the North Thompson valley, it’s just a shift in the economy on how it’s run and what types of uses we use for these trees, and what of businesses utilize what we have up in this area.”

Blackwell also wildfire fuel mitigation would also be needed around Clearwater and particularly in Wells Gray Provincial Park. He says an extensive Wells Gray wildfire risk management plan was published in the spring which identifies hundreds of thousands, if not million of dollars, worth of safety work to be done in the park.

The Vavenby mill shut down earlier this month and was the largest employer in the North Thompson, with more than 170 direct staff. The closure follows an announcement made more than two months ago that the sawmill would be shuttering this summer.

Donaldson will also be meeting face-to-face today with Simpcw First Nation chief Shelly Loring today to talk about forestry in the North Thompson. The First Nation has expressed a desire to be part of a proposed $60-million-dollar forest tenure transfer from Canfor to Interfor, which the Forest Ministry would have to approved before it goes through.