10/19/2026
Yesterday was such a great day for our little town of Wells.
There is so much negativity in the world that it’s easy to feel like there’s no way to make a difference, no way to protect the things you care about. It’s easy to feel defeated and wonder, what’s the point?
But yesterday, I think a lot of us woke up feeling hopeful. Like we’re in this together. Like there is someone willing to stand up, have the hard conversations, and fight for our little town.
Someone who I genuinely believe has no other motives than doing what’s best for the people and the community was elected mayor. And honestly, I don’t think that’s something many of us feel about politics these days.
Sometimes it feels like it’s the little people against the big, bad mine. And those who support the mine without question often seem to believe that opposing certain practices means we want the mine gone altogether. But that’s not what we’ve been screaming from the mountaintops.
We’re asking for some pretty reasonable things. Please stop buying up local businesses and accommodations just to shutter them or turn them into mine camps. Please ensure environmental permits and practices are upheld to the standards they’re supposed to be. Please make sure trucks aren’t speeding through town, contractors and workers aren’t throwing garbage into the bushes and along our roads, and people can still feel safe visiting our little lakes and walking around town.
We’re asking for people in Wells to have a good quality of life.
People need jobs. As a society, we extract resources from the earth to create those jobs and support our way of life. Am I happy about that? Of course not. But mining isn’t going away, and neither is the need to find ways for industry and communities to coexist.
We need to do the least amount of damage possible to our earth, to the other economic driver that exists here in nature and tourism, and to each other.
We don’t want the mine to disappear or people to lose their jobs. Quite the opposite. We want people to work, businesses to thrive, and our community to prosper. We want it to happen ethically, responsibly, and in a way that allows everyone to have a future here.
Mining will come and go, but Wells, its stories, its people, and its tourism will always be here. We need to keep reminding people of that because, let’s be honest, the people at the top are ultimately looking at their bottom line. They aren’t necessarily the ones who will live with the consequences of their decisions. That responsibility falls on all of us who call this place home, who care about it, and who want to see it thrive long after the mine has moved on.
Yesterday felt like a weight had been lifted. Like we could breathe a little easier. Like we could continue to feel excited about growing our ecotourism business in Wells because we believe in the Cariboo, and the people of Wells believe in the Cariboo, too.
Change starts with small acts. With people who refuse to give up. With communities coming together and choosing to believe that things can be better.
Yesterday felt like one of those moments.
And it feels oh so good. ❤️
