The community liaison for saving caribou in the Peace Region – who was hand-picked by the Premier – has resigned.

Former Liberal MLA Blair Lekstrom quit yesterday, which was in part because of a letter from John Horgan sent to local leaders on Jan. 16.

“It’s unfortunate it came to this point. But it became very clear recently, with a letter the Premier had sent to the Peace River Regional District in my area stating they had no intention to change any text within the partnership agreement. Which has been one of the prime asks from everybody in this region. Industry, business, and local government primarily,” Lekstrom says, while speaking on an interview to be aired on NL Newsday with Brett Mineer this afternoon.

“It is not a well-written document by any stretch. But I’m an eternal optimist, I thought there was room to come together and make this work. For whatever reason, we have reached a point where – not unlike what’s happened many times before to different regions in this country and province – apparently Ottawa and Victoria seem to know best for the people in the Peace Region. Which in this case they absolutely do not.”

Lekstrom says everyone in the region was happy to work towards protecting caribou, but local governments said they needed to be included in planning, which has not happened.

“I wrote a report over the nine months I was engaged, I presented it last June to the government. People were happy to work towards the recovery of caribou, without question. One-hundred per cent support. But the people of this region – outside of West Moberly and Saulteau [First Nations] – they needed a seat at the caribou recovery table.”

Out of the 14 recommendations in Lekstrom’s report, he says the government has only implemented one – which was an interim moratorium on new resource development in sensitive areas, announced last June. He says he would’ve liked to see it last only a few months, but “the government’s interpretation” of an interim moratorium was two years.