One of the last people to put his hat in the ring for the vacant position on 樱桃视频council wants to bring the 樱桃视频Nation and the District of 樱桃视频closer together.
Randy Lewis, who works as Environmental Co-ordinator/Projects Manager for the First Nation, filed his nomination for the June 24 byelection to council Friday (May 19).
"There's more communication, I think, required not only for the 樱桃视频Nation chief and council, but for 樱桃视频municipal council," he said Tuesday (May 23). "I think there are more opportunities we can explore meaningfully with someone like me on council.
"We call ourselves SQ2 - the 樱桃视频Nation and the District of Squamish. There are doors the municipality can't get into at higher governmental tables but we in the 樱桃视频Nation we invite them in because of rights and title."
Lewis cited projects like the 樱桃视频Estuary Management Plan [SEMP] as examples of how 樱桃视频Nation influence brought benefits to the District.
"We brought about 1,500 per cent more benefit to the District of 樱桃视频than they would have as a result of us signing off on it," he said.
Lewis was born and raised in 樱桃视频and started out working in the forest industry as a helicopter logger faller. He went to work for the federal government in the early 1980s, then returned to heli-logging and took a degree at BCIT before joining the 樱桃视频Nation staff in 1992.
Lewis is currently president of the 樱桃视频River Watershed Society and a director of the 樱桃视频Environmental Conservation.
"There's a lot of volunteer work I've put into this community over a number of years,' he said. "You've got to know the people at the grassroots level."
As the 樱桃视频Nation's environmental co-ordinator, Lewis negotiates protocols with provincial and federal governments dealing with the band's traditional territory, which stretches from Vancouver to north of Pemberton.
Lewis pointed out that the 樱桃视频Nation has become one of the major industrial employers in the area with its acquisition of Tree Farm Licence 38.
Also within Lewis's responsibilities are independent power projects (IPPs). The 樱桃视频Nation is supporting a proposal by Ledcor for a controversial IPP on the Ashlu River which is being opposed by the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District as well as 樱桃视频council.
"There's more, I think, direct dialogue required for IPPs within our territory," Lewis said. "We've done a lot of due diligence in the pastbut we want to develop some certainty with regards to these green projects, not just for the 樱桃视频Nation.
Lewis noted that opponents of the Ashlu project have raised concerns that the power from the project and eventually the whole IPP could be sold to an American company in the future. He noted that the covenant on the project states not only that the power generated must stay local, but also that the 樱桃视频Nation has first right of refusal to buy the company.
"It's not going to be sold to foreign interests."
Lewis has also been involved with the Nexen Lands cleanup and acts as a liaison between the 樱桃视频Nation and the 樱桃视频Oceanfront Development Corporation.
"I think they're on track," he said of the development process which has attracted some criticism from other developers and industrial representatives. "Everybody's not going to be happy at the end of the day, but you get that in every community."
