Merritt welcomes new CAO, fleeing from wildfires

That’s 1.5 times the area burnt in what’s already B.C’s most devastating wildfire season.

Tens of thousands of residents from the territories have been forced to evacuate and are now waiting out the fires in Alberta, B.C. and the Yukon.

One of those evacuees is Cynthia White, Merritt’s new chief administrative officer.

“It’s pretty hard there,” White said.

“My kids were born in the Northwest Territories. That’s their home, the only place they’ve ever really known.”

White was slated to start her new role on Sept. 5.

“I was actually supposed to start next week after the long weekend,” she said.

“But we’re evacuated from our community in the Northwest Territories and we were staying with family on Vancouver Island.”

White and her family were evacuated three weeks ago and while the fate of her home is still up in the air, White started in Merritt on Monday.

“We decided that since we’re here,” she explained.

“I might start early and get to know the staff and the organization a little bit better.”

Though she got to Merritt early, White expects she will need to take some time off once evacuation orders are lifted.

“We are going to have to go back in and deal with whatever the outcome of our evacuation is. So I’ll probably be gone for a few weeks before I’m back again,” White said.

“Nothing damaged in our community. But because one of the other communities near us burned, it’s a little bit stressful.”

Despite the recent chaos that landed her in Merritt early, White is looking forward to putting Merritt on the map.

“This role is about envisioning with council and the staff, the future of Merritt, and how to continue to make it a vital place in the province and to make it a place people think about,” she told CFJC News.

As chief administrative officer, White will oversee city operations and work with the municipal government to execute Merritt’s strategic plan.

by Sydney Chisholm

Merritt welcomes new CAO, fleeing from wildfires

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