Wildsight bashing…

[wildsight]

Here is some recent correspondence/backpedalling/wildsight bashing by Bill Bennett to the Fernie Chamber of Commerce

From: Steve Kuijt [mailto:Steve@islandlakeresorts.com]
Sent: January-16-09 11:53 AM
To: Steve Kuijt; Scott Gilmet; Paula Ehmann; Krista Turcasso; Heather Lewis; Evelyn Cutts; Darren Milne; Darlene Mosiondz; Christine Grimble; Angela Etheridge; Carrie Meyer
Subject:
I was vary disappointed to hear that Bill Bennett decided to talk about CBM for almost the entire meeting on January 15th as opposed to what the Chamber of Commerce had requested as a topic and he had agreed to. As a member of the C of C board of directors and a business manager in the Fernie area I see every day the impact of the current economic impact on tourism in our area. At the time of his appointment as Minister of Tourism I welcomed his appointment. I read his weekly input in the Free Press and have been following his progress on several topics. I am severely disappointed on two fronts, one is his total lack of interest in tourism support for our area exemplified by the recent Business Breakfast where he was given the opportunity to talk about tourism in our area (in fact it was the main purpose for his invitation) but spent less than five minutes on tourism and the vast majority of that was on the Olympics, not on anything in our area. The second disappointment is the total support of CBM extraction in Fernie (not even in his portfolio) with out any consultation with the tourism industry in our area with respects to any potential negative impacts it might have and any mitigation measures that might be available. Reading his input in the Free Press on a regular basis I can see I have been vary na?Øve, he has little interest in supporting tourism in Fernie and gets his direction from Vitoria and the resource sector ‚Äì both priorities from his time spent as Minister of Mines and nothing to do with Tourism in our area. Why is he the Minister of Tourism?

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Original Message

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From: Bennett, Bill TCA:EX
To: bobcutts@shaw.ca
Cc: Bennett, Bill TCA:EX
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 8:41 PM
Subject: Steve Kuit

Dear Evelyn,
I have seen the email from Mr. Kuit to you and some of your Chamber directors. This email may well be libelous. It is viscious and mean-spirited, not to mention the hypocrisy of someone who was not even in attendance to hear what I had to say. It is also quite revealing of Mr. Kuit’s intellectual level. I cannot even begin to understand his reasoning that as MLA for Kootenay East, I must only be allowed to talk about tourism and no other issue.

However, having sent a few emails in my day I wish I hadn’t, I am not going to talk to any lawyers and I do not have any intention of making Mr. Kuit pay for his indiscrete email, as I paid for mine. But to undo any harm done to my reputation, I am providing you with a reponse that I trust you will forward to all of your Chamber directors so that the record can be set straight. Please advise if you will not be forwarding this message to your directors. Thank you.

Here is my response.
My Cranbrook office notified me in the late fall that the Fernie Chamber was inviting me to speak. I value these invitations and frankly wish I had more such opportunities. If I have a choice between speaking at venues in my Riding or being a minister elsewhere, I will choose my Riding every time. Everyone in Victoria, including Premier Campbell, knows that about me. However, there are ocassions in my business where I do not have a choice and that happened in the fall. I had to cancel and look for an alternate date. That date was the meeting at which I spoke in January. Your comments to the attendees of that meeting that I am very difficult to get to a meeting and that I had cancelled this particular speaking engagement many times was incorrect. The attendees left that meeting under an incorrect and unfair impression. Several attendees expressed to me their dismay with your comments which they felt were ungracious.

I never spoke directly with your Chamber manager, but my staff reported to me that you wanted me to talk about tourism. I put together a speech on tourism and the Olympic games and prepred to give that speech. Two days before the date of the event, I received a copy of an email from Wildsight indicating they were trying to stack your meeting and to protest and disrupt the meeting, with a focus on coal bed gas. Three different Chamber members from Fernie contacted me about the Wildsight strategy and strongly advised me to come to the meeting prepared to explain the government’s position on coal bed gas. And when you think about it, what issue is most top of mind in Fernie these days? Coal bed gas was a natural choice of topic.

I did not get to deliver the portion of my speech on tourism, although I did cover a few items. I warned the crowd that tourism was going to be tough the next year or two and that we have a plan to help. Frankly, with no disrespect intended, your comment after I spoke that tourism in Fernie is doing fine is puzzling, since tourism numbers are down all over the Kootenays, including Fernie. Business people from Fernie I talk to are very concerned about the economy and its impact on tourism locally. I also explained how fortunate BC is to have the 2010 Games. Every nation on earth wishes they had an Olympic Games during this recession. Your members may not be aware, but we have already had high quality video shot in Fernie that will be shared with the 10,000 media attending the 2010 Games and in fact NBC already has the video. I certainly hope that Mr. Kuit does not speak for the Fernie Chamber with his short sighted and ignorant comments about the Olympics. Opportunity comes to those who recognize it and are prepared to work at it. If the Fernie Chamber needs any information on how all of BC will benefit from the 2010 Games, I would be happy to provide it. Or invite me back and I will give you 30 minutes on nothing but tourism and the Olympics.

As for the substance of Mr. Kuit’s email, or lack of substance, it is concerning that he does not seem to believe that the people of Fernie deserve to know the facts around coal bed gas exploration. What is he afraid of? Perhaps he and his allies fear that the truth will show there is nothing to fear and that there are very strict rules in place that will ensure protection of the environment. Perhaps he is worried the people of the community will start to realize, as they did in Hudson Hope, that coal bed gas cold be an economic godsend for their community (after considerable fear in the beginning). You may recall that I asked the audience at various junctures during my speech, if they were aware of certain facts‚Ķat no time were there more than 3 or 4 people who were aware of very basic facts on coal bed gas. As a business organization, why not invite BP in to talk about their plans and if you want, someone from the Oil and Gas Commission to talk about the rules. Again, I certainly hope that a business organization, an organization whose very mandate is to support business growth in Fernie, does not share the narrow, bigoted views of Mr. Kuit and his friends in the Wildsight Party (because it is a political party even it doesn’t call itself one).

Evelyn, Fernie has missed many opportunities over the past 8 years. It is my perspective from listening, being part of the community and watching for 8 years that the debate about development of any kind is framed by Wildsight in stark terms of "either/or"…either development proceeds and Fernie and the surrounding land loses its environmental and community integrity; or development does not proceed and the community stays the same as does the natural environment. Surely experience in life shows us that a balance between these two extremes is possible. Here is a quote from the speech I gave:

"In a way that (tourism and cbg) is a good way to structure my remarks today because I have always believed it is not a question of either or…either resource jobs or tourism jobs…it is a question of finding a way to balance it so that people have good jobs, communities have amenities, municipal governments have tax revenues and we all have wild, clean places to enjoy when we aren’t working."

And does anyone really believe things ever stay the same? Fernie is losing people, not just opportunities. Although there has been much talk over the last eight years about "growth" and "development", not much has actually gone ahead. The fear that has stopped a balanced approach to new jobs and new business for your members must be fought. It must be stood up to. Mr. Brennan and Wildsight, despite our government’s leadership on climate change and other environmental matters and despite my commitment to prevent mining in the Flathead, has decided to try to get an NDP MLA elected in this Riding. That is his business and is part of the democratic process. Let him take his best shot. But for the community of Fernie, is it not time that we ask what Wildsight supports. What project? What development? What new jobs? They are not for balanced economic growth. They are for no economic growth, no new jobs and the slow deterioration and strangulation of the small business community of Fernie. Tell me it isn’t so, Evelyn. You know in your heart what I say is true. Mr. Kuit, the author of such an obvious, politically partisan attack against me, speaks for Wildsight.

Finally, Evelyn, your directors and your members, all being supportive of economic development, new jobs and keeping existing jobs, should know my record. I was a chamber President for two years in Cranbrook. I grew up in a small business family and owned a small business myself – a wilderness lodge. As MLA, I have played key roles in the following:

The expanded Canadian Rockies International Airport;
A $34 million expansion of our regional hospital and 35 new specialists;
A $16 million expansion of College of the Rockies;
The fix of the deadly Steamboat Hill;
Hundreds of thousand$ into eco system restoration of our natural grasslands;
The best invasive plant prevention program in BC;
The East Kootenay Angling Management Plan;
The Southern Rocky Mountain Management Plan;
My private member’s bill, "the Heritage Right to Hunt and Fish";
Rennovations to the Fernie Arena;
Millions in infrastructure for Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford;
New high school in Sparwood.
Additional funding for Kootenay Rockies Tourism;
Fernie’s Resort Municipality status;
To name a few things.
To close, Eveyln, I have known you for many years and I think we respect each other. If you need more information on coal bed gas, BP, tourism, or any other issue, you have my personal email and my cell phone number. I am at your disposal.

Bill Bennett
MLA, East Kootenay
Minister Tourism, Culture & Arts

[liberal]

HI Steve

We appreciate that we both share a common goal and that is to drive as much awareness and Tourism revenue for Fernie, the community, our respective resort destinations and for the Kootenay Region.

I heard through the Fernie grapevine that you were unhappy with Minister Bennett.

I wanted to follow up with some thoughts for you to consider. I have been involved in tourism in BC for over 10 years now. In those 10 years I have never seen a Minister of Tourism for their whole term do as much for our Region as Minister Bennett has done in a few months.

I will use one campaign as an example- Minister Bennett helped make the new Delta Airlines service to our Region possible- with that came some new opportunities

He has literally put Fernie and our region on the map in the US. He has cleared up some of the bottlenecks and through that has streamlined the process so that we can see support for campaigns that have real call to Action for our Region.

Some of the many other that I wish to highlight:
1. We finally have a representative on Tourism BC board from Fernie. As you know it is hard for the Gov’t to make change at TourismBC and we need to drive change and opportunities from the Board. Many of the Tourism Ministers of the past had all of the representation in the lower Mainland
2. Minister Bennett has been there to bring awareness to the Tourism BC staff that Fernie is a great place and he has asked them to promote it more. As I have heard on the ground while working on programs with Tourism BC staff
3. IN regard to Air Service as mentioned above- Minister Bennett has taken a strong supporting role on not only the Delta project but also developing other Air service we have been working on from other Markets- without his support none of this would be possible- Not Delta and none of the other test markets we are working on
4. Minister Bennett has made sure that a new video features Fernie in it (summer and winter) for the OIympics Media- but not only the video but also a mandate to drive more Media to Fernie from Tourism BC’s media office
5. Support from Tourism BC for CDSC projects has continued and will grow for Fernie (of which Tourism Fernie, Fernie Alpine Resort and Island Lake see benefit from)
6. Continued support for the Boulder Media Event- we have a strong Fernie feature
7. Minister Bennett help make sure that Tourism BC had a Media Event at Toronto Ski Show and offered a new Show (given change in economy and more drive or Regional Market) in Seattle- Fernie was well represented at both
8. Continued strength in support of the UK programs to showcase Fernie and in fact helping to meet with one of the largest UKoperators and bringing them to Fernie to showcase the destination

I could go on and on….But feel important that there is so much good that Minister Bennett is doing for Fernie. He does not take much credit for all that he does. We are very appreciative and we could not have a better Minister of Tourism. Minister Bennett is getting things done and will make sure that Fernie is well supported, promoted and represented.

Thanks for taking the time to read my e-mail and we appreciate all that you and the Island Lake team do to market and promote Fernie as a destination

Take care

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