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Wednesday, February 26, 2014 Caledonia Courier
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Brought to you by your MLA John Rustad
Serving the community of Fort St. James
Featuring the spirit of the local people
Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier
Municipal intern made her mark
with the Canadian Co-op Association working on economic diversification in the Andes. She stayed in high-altitude places and said Where has the time gone? she saw a lot of parallels between some of the Olivia McMahon has been at the District of challenges the locals in those places were facFort St. James since June of 2013, working as ing with those faced by people in northern coman intern through a program funded by Northern munities back at home in Canada. Development Initiative Trust (NDIT). The intercultural differences between urban McMahon will be done her internship in April, and rural residents and geographic challenges but the young woman has made an impact in the the Peruvians were dealing with were well short time she’s been in Fort St. James. known to McMahon. “She brings an enthusiastic, fresh, youthful She said what she saw opened her up to the approach to what otherwise could be really heavy idea she knew more about the north than somematerial,” said her coworker Mel Chesnutt, the one who wasn’t from there, and the north offered District of Fort St. James’ event coordinator. a lot of opportunities other places couldn’t. The heavy material Chesnutt is referring to “After getting out and trying other things, are things like the Municipal Alcohol Policy McI realized the best things were back at home,” Mahon helped develop from start to finish, consaid McMahon. sulting stakeholders and learning as she went. So she decided to take hold of this realizaChesnutt said McMahon is great at recruiting tion and nurture it and keep focussing on comcommunity support and building rapport with munity development work. community partners. Since starting the job in June, she helped Chesnutt said McMahon is dedicated to her with a number of initiatives, including the night work and maintains a friendly outlook. market to help promote local businesses and “She’s just been super great to work with,” worked on a communication plan for the Disshe said of her coworker. trict of Fort St. James. The opportunity to hire McMahon came about She also learned a lot by helping Colombo thanks to the NDIT internship program, which with the environmental assessment groups. the District of Fort St. James applied to. “With the amount of pipeline projects going “I really value the Northern Development inthrough this community I’ve become really intern program,” said Emily Colombo, economic terested in environmental assessment process,” development officer for the district and McMashe said. This may help direct her future plans hon’s supervisor. “I think the quality of intern to obtain a master’s degree in public administhey provided us with is very high.” tration, focussing on community development Colombo praised McMahon’s research skills or environmental management, but before she and said she was a great help with Colombo’s does she would like some more work experiwork on the different environment assessment ence. working groups, the housing research the district While her time is coming to a close, she said has been doing and the municipal alcohol policy. she really likes the summers here in Fort St. “She’s got a real spark and flair for commuJames - the beaches and the barbecues - and Intern Olivia McMahon discovered her love for the north after experinity development work,” said Colombo. how supportive the community is. encing other places. The 26-year-old graduate of UNBC is origiColombo also said the District of Fort St. Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier nally from Prince George, so being in Fort St. James will be applying for another intern thinking she would stay in the north, as she said she James kept her close to home, something she had not did not necessarily feel any great allegiance to the through NDIT and this year communities in the region originally planned on. may have to share an intern instead of each receiving area. When she began her undergraduate degree in PoHowever, McMahon went to Peru on an internship their own. litical Science and International Studies, she was not Interviews for the position will begin this week.
John Rustad, MLA Nechako Lakes
Box 421 183 First Street Vanderhoof Tel: 250-567-6820 Fax: 250-567-6822
Toll Free: 1-877-964-5650 E-mail: john.rustad.mla@leg.bc.ca Website: www.johnrustadmla.bc.ca