Third crossing
Advocates of a road connecting Powell River to Squamish have received a positive response from the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD).
Three directors of the Third Crossing Society, Thomas Wheeler, Ann Snow and Colin Palmer, recently attended an SLRD board meeting.
Wheeler, president of the society, said the group was well received. “The SLRD sees great value in us being able to connect from Vancouver Island through to the mainland by a road through Powell River to Squamish,” he said.
The society is proposing a 215-kilometre route, going northeast from Powell River around Jervis Inlet and then southeast to connect with Highway 99 at the Alice Lake intersection north of Squamish. Approximately 80 per cent of the route is currently logging roads. A 30-kilometre stretch of new highway would include a three-kilometre tunnel through Mount Casement to complete the connection.
The society estimates the project would cost $503 million.
Powell River Regional District has already given the project support in principle.
In addition to speaking to the SLRD, the group had an opportunity to speak to managers from chambers of commerce along the Lower Sunshine Coast, including Bowen Island, Gibsons, Sechelt and Pender Harbour, as well as from Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, and Lillooet, Wheeler said. “While they didn’t have any authority to give us support in principle, because they are the managers of their offices, they at least have the information and are taking it back,” he said. “They had a lot of good questions for us that I think we were able to answer quite well.”
The group’s main purpose was to let people know that the proposed road is an economic corridor that stretches from Vancouver Island through Powell River to the interior, Wheeler said. “What it really requires is for us to complete that 30 kilometres of new road and upgrade 170 kilometres of logging road to make this a reality,” he said.
Society directors plan on travelling to Vancouver Island to seek support for the plan. “We’re not far off from taking this to higher levels of government,” Wheeler said.
Tuition support
Unemployed Powell River residents receiving services through the Employment Program of BC (EPBC) may now be eligible for up to a maximum of $7,500 in tuition funding to access skills training. Previously, tuition support was capped at $4,000.
Employment advisors are available through WorkBC Employment Services Centres to meet with job seekers to help them identify the supports and services they need to become employed. In Powell River, assistance is available at Career Link.
Depending on individual eligibility, job seekers may be able to access up to $7,500 in tuition support for skills-training programs that address an identified labour market need. The increased tuition support will be effective as of November 19.
EPBC offers assistance to unemployed British Columbians, including specialized populations, such as youth, people with disabilities, immigrants, francophones, multi-barriered clients, survivors of violence and/or abuse, first nations and people living in rural areas.
