KARI
MEDIG
for a while and explore. Mayor Luke
Strimbold is working to improve the
situation by expanding the pullout at
the visitor's centre. If visitors can be
convinced to get out of their cars and
RVs, sta would have the opportunity to
push pamphlets into their hands show-
ing o the local attractions. Taking a
page out of Smithers's book, Burns Lake
has also started emphasizing outdoor
recreation. Last year, the local moun-
tain bike trail system—which averages
around 80 riders a day—was the rst
in Canada to receive the International
Mountain Bike Association Bronze Ride
Centre certi cate.
The need to diversify the local econ-
omy is more urgent in Burns Lake than
in other nearby towns. On January 20,
2012, two workers were killed and 19
others badly hurt when an explosion
tore through the Babine Forest Prod-
ucts sawmill. By far the area's largest
employer, the mill will be rebuilt, but
only two-thirds of the 220 workers who
were employed there before the explo-
sion will be re-hired. Modernization
reduces the labour demand, forcing
local leaders to look elsewhere for jobs.
But Burns Lake, gritty working town,
lacks a charming Main Street and other
esthetic advantages that make Smithers
attractive to tourists. Strimbold has a big
challenge ahead of him.
The combination of natural gifts and
transportation infrastructure that made
these towns ideal for forestry should
also make them attractive destinations
for tourists. But the two industries share
some less desirable economic traits as
well, including labour force volatility
and sensitivity to currency uctuations.
If tourism can succeed in replacing mill
jobs it will be in towns like Smithers
that have made long-term investments
in becoming a destination. Even with
that success, however, a café server is
unlikely to ll the economic void left by
a well-paid, unionized mill worker.
■
ATTRACTIONS
Alpine Al greets
Smithers visitors
(opposite page);
Burns Lake area
boasts world-
class mountain
biking trails.
p56-59-Smithers_june.indd 59 2014-05-01 1:31 PM
