We are certainly enjoying a wonderful summer with plenty of warm temperatures and little rain. Unfortunately, with the hot and dry conditions come some issues which we can see by looking into the sky just east of us. I am, of course, talking about the fire that is burning up Nine Mile Creek (named the Whitetail Brook Fire by the Wildfire Management Branch).

At this point the fire is not a threat to the community. It is moving in the opposite direction and the Wildfire Management Branch is conducting a full response. They have set up a base camp in the elementary school and hired a communications officer who is in constant contact with the village, giving updates. We have also had a well-attended information meeting hosted by the Wildfire Management Branch. It was informative and put a lot of people at rest.

In the event, this or any other fire becomes a risk to the community, I wanted to assure everyone that the village does have an emergency plan in place and is ready to activate it as soon as it is deemed necessary. Our staff is highly trained and, in case of an emergency, we will be getting assistance from the Regional District of East Kootenay and the province.

In other news, council is in the process of discussing an economic development plan presented by our Economic Development Committee.

In addition, we have received a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust to hire a contractor to develop two community profiles — one business, one residential. There is a lot of information out there and we are looking to have it all compiled in one document that is easy to access for any potential investor or home buyer.

Ute Juras is the mayor of the Village of Canal Flats and a Regional District of East Kootenay director for the Columbia Valley.