Reached by phone in Whistler on Friday afternoon, Mayor Lawrence Chernoff had a few spare moments in which to relate some of his impressions of the concluding Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference.
Spare moments had likely been in much shorter supply earlier in the week for the Castlegar mayor, what with a loaded schedule to keep up with including his duties on the BC Mayor’s Climate Leadership Council along with mayors of Vancouver, North Vancouver (City and District) Victoria, Burns Lake and Colwood.
Mayor Chernoff indicated the whole experience has been worthwhile for him.
“It’s great to talk to ministers,” he said. “It’s great just to meet with people. Some of the sessions have been really well done. It’s great networking. We picked up a lot of good information.”
The mayor responded to a comment relating to the volume of information dispensed at a forum such as the UBCM convention, and how to process it.
“You sift through it,” he simplified, driving home the point that the personal encounters are the main highlights.
“It’s there, you get it live, and it’s face-to-face. That’s the biggest part of this thing.”
The mayor was set to return to Castlegar the following afternoon. His detailed report on the conference will likely be included in the agenda of the regular council meeting scheduled for Monday, October 6.