The Mayor of Machin is hoping to catch the ear of provincial politicians this year.
Gord Griffiths notes it was extremely difficult to hold a conversation with government officials in 2020 because the focus was solely on COVID-19.
“We’re looking for some changes. Make things a little easier for the small municipalities. I still don’t think governments recognize there’s a difference between the big municipalities and the small ones. There should be some different rules for the small guys. So we’re going to continue working on that one.”
The main priority for Griffiths is convincing the province to free up crown land to allow for development.
It’s been a long-standing issue and Griffiths says he was very disappointed that no progress was made with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry last year.
Griffiths admits 2021 will be another challenging year as we try to recover from the pandemic.
He says local communities can’t continue down the current path.
“The impact that it will have on the economy. Which will probably effect all levels of government to meet financial obligations. Once we deal with the virus and get COVID out of the way, the big problems are really going to show up.”
Griffiths says the Municipality of Machin has a number of projects in the queue but notes it will be difficult to proceed under current restrictions.
He notes COVID-19 put the breaks on several projects last year, stressing there are plenty of development opportunities in the area.
“We’ve talked to a lot of people. Potentially things could open up here for the economy if this virus ever goes away. So we’re optimistic.”
