Join Canadian Public Relations Society – Northern Lights for the annual building blocks professional development session. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2015. Lunch is included, and the AGM will follow the Building Blocks session at 3:30 p.m.
The event will feature;
- Mayor Luke Strimbold from Burns Lake, B.C. speaking about communications and community engagement during the 2012 Babine Lake Mill Fire.
- Alyson Gourley-Cramer from the 2015 Canada Winter Games to talk about their award winning website project.
- Participation in working through a RACE project. This will provide an opportunity for participants to learn how others in the industry work on communications strategies and provide their own advice.
Cost: Members $40/Non-members $55
Livestreaming will be available for the presentations. It will be free for CPRS Northern Lights members outside of Prince George and $20 for non-members.
Luke Strimbold’s Presentation
A fire at the Babine Forests Products Sawmill in Burns Lake, B.C. on Friday, January 22, 2012 created one of the largest tragedies this province has ever seen. There were unfortunately two people that did not survive the fire and 19 others taken to hospital with various injuries. Mayor Luke Strimbold had just been elected mayor in November 2011, and had to find a way to pull his community together through the tragedy. Mayor Strimbold will join us for our 2015 building blocks session to talk about communications and public engagement immediately following the incident, to the announcement and construction of the new mill, and look forward to the upcoming coroner’s inquest that will be held this June. As the leader of the local government for Burns Lake, Mayor Strimbold helped to ensure there was timely access to information and the community was informed, along with key departments of the Village of Burns Lake. Mayor Strimbold will also discuss the benefits of having an emergency preparedness plan that can be enacted.
Biography 
Mayor Luke Strimbold was born and raised in Burns Lake. Mayor Strimbold holds the distinction of being the youngest Mayor in British Columbia, and the second youngest Mayor in Canada. Mayor Strimbold was first elected to Village Council during a by-election in late 2010. Luke was elected Mayor in 2011 and in this role he serves on a variety of local committees, is a director for the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako, and a board member of the North Central Local Government Association.
Luke also works in his family’s forestry company assisting with operations management. His past experience includes working as a youth councillor at Lake Babine Nation, and working for Lake Babine Nation Fisheries. In his free time, Mayor Strimbold enjoys sports, water activities, and camping.
The potential to influence change in the community and the region inspires the Mayor’s successes in his position. As a young member of Burns Lake, Mayor Strimbold focuses on engaging and encouraging youth to participate in community development for the future.
CPRS Northern Lights 