Kamloops needs more doctors. I learnt more today about a solid initiative to attract more of the right types of doctors to town.

Venture Kamloops Executive Director Dan Sulz gave a great talk to the Kamloops Rotary Club this afternoon. In front of a membership made up of local business people and professionals, Dan presented about the Red Carpet program for physicians thinking about locating / relocating to Kamloops.

The Red Carpet program is designed to provide a warm welcome to doctors, their spouses, and families. It also allow them to experience the many amenities Kamloops has to offer.

The program also offers reputable local businesses the opportunity to provide products  and services as part of the Red Carpet welcome packages. 

So far, since November 2009, twelve doctors have been attracted to Kamloops through the program. I am so glad that Venture Kamloops is targeting and measuring its programs. I wrote about my thinking about this here.

Venture Kamloops has more information about the Red Carpet program.

One of the organizers of the Kamloops Energy Fair, and former BC Wildlife Park manager Rob Purdy, spoke to me about some big picture sustainability issues. Recorded at the 2010 Kamloops Energy Fair on June 19th 2010. Almost 7 minutes.

Audio Map

00:00  - big picture of sustainability 00:22 - problems with oil based economy 01:03 - contribution of the Kamloops Energy Fair 02:06 - momentum towards transitioning to a cleaner energy society - key number is 13%. 03:55 - women another potential driver to greener world           - green economy huge potential.

I've been impressed with the work of the BC Grasslands Conservation Council (GCC). The GCC is based in Kamloops and, over the past years, they have worked cooperatively with governments and citizens to preserve what I now know to be quite a valuable resource.

At the 2010 Kamloops Energy Fair, as part of my podcast booth, I had the great opportunity to speak with Tasha Sargent, stewardship planner with the GCC, to find out more about the work of the GCC and its value to the province. The audio runs about 11 minutes and, I think, provides a good primer on the importance of the GCC.

 00:08 - what is the Grasslands Conservation Council and why grasslands are important
 01:50 - working closely with ranching industry, created monitoring manual for ranchers
 02:10 - how the GCC is funded, offer opportunity for membership
 03:16 - working with different levels of government (eg. City of Kamloops)
 04:13 - why should we care if species ( eg.that depend on grasslands) die out?
 06:14 - current grasslands conservation philosophy
 07:30 - how can people help conserve grasslands when using them for recreational purposes
 10:14 - pocket book for motorized users

  www.bcgrasslands.org

Since I met Grant almost six years ago, I've been a great admirer of his mind and of his style. In other words, he is not only a forward thinker, he also has a knack for getting across his thoughts well.

In this conversation at Cowboy Coffee on the North Shore, we talk about:

00:45 - creosote gasification proposal 04:10 - airshed management plan 06:20 - Green Party / Green issues 08:45 - state of discussion on environmental issues in Canada 09:47 - impressions of the North Shore.

I sound pretty goofy in my intro to this podcast. Dale, by contrast, sounds ever her intelligent and engaging self.

01:21 - Creosote Tie Gasification Proposal

04:35 - Kudos to School District Public Engagement

07:27 - Journalist and/versus Community Member

09:00 - Kudos for Mayor Peter Milobar

09:14 - General Impressions at Start of 2010 Vancouver Olympic