Clearwater town councillor Shelley Sim has been elected first vice-president of Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA).
The election took place during SILGA's annual convention held recently in Kelowna.
SILGA was formed to represent the various municipalities and regional districts of B.C.'s southern Interior.
As first vice-president, Sim will act as chair of next year's convention, which will be held in Sun Peaks.
During the regular town council meeting held May 3, Sim reported that there had been some discussion at SILGA of the proposed UNESCO Geopark for Wells Gray Park and its volcanoes. Some were concerned about how much the Geopark and its application might cost, she said.
About 26 per cent of Canadians are “millennials” (young adults), she said, and they are second in buying power only to the baby boomers.
“We need to look at things differently to attract those people,” she said, “things like better cell service, Internet ... it's like air to that generation.”
“We might not be able to attract industry per se, but we can attract jobs,” Sim said.
The town councillor was not the only Sim at the SILGA convention. Her daughter, Megan Sim, president of Clearwater's junior council, gave a presentation on youth engagement to the assembled local politicians.