Small Town Stories: Barriere

Jan 25, 2017 | 4:46 PM

BARRIERE, B.C. — The District of Barriere has been forced to prove its resilience many times over the years.

Businesses struggled to stay afloat during the recession, and the wildfires of 2003 cost hundreds of residents their jobs.

Barriere is now putting the pieces back together, experiencing new growth and preparing for future challenges.

WATCH: Feature by CFJC Reporter Jill Sperling

The tight-knit District of Barriere may be small, but it’s also strong. 

The community of around 1,800 residents has faced its fair share of challenges, most notably a massive wildfire in 2003. 

“After the fire of course we lost all the mill workers, and lost the Tolko Mill that was at that site, and that put 200 people out of work,” TNRD Area “O” Director Bill Kershaw said. “We’ve had changes, and young people drifted away for a lot of years, now they’re slowly coming back.”

Forestry is the major industry in Barriere. Gilbert Smith Forest Products Ltd. is the largest employer, an operation that continues to seek growth.

“After we made it through the recession we really had to tighten down and we were able to make it through,” said Greg Smith, general manager of Gilbert Smith Forest Products Ltd. “That enabled us to be able to reinvest in the operation, and so in the last three years we’ve invested over $15 million in this operation.” 

Uncertainty surrounding the softwood lumber agreement with the United States is the next big challenge for the cedar sawmill. 

“We’ve gone through trade wars before, and we know we’ll come out the other side and be successful,” Smith said. 

When fire ripped through the area in 2003, the Tolko Sawmill was destroyed, leaving the Louis Creek Industrial Park empty. A medical marijuana producer has had offers in on two lots there for several year, but has struggled to get federal approval.

“We’re hoping it will go ahead,” said Barriere’s mayor, Virginia Smith. “That would create a few jobs.” 

A sustainable water reclamation centre was recently completed in Barriere, the result of a $6.7 million Green Innovation grant.

“This is a very exciting project,” said Virginia Smith, “The sewage comes in to the surge blending tank, which is outside the building, and the tank has huge big pumps in it to keep it aerobic so there’s no odour, and then it feeds into these, they’re called trains, these big tanks.”

Once treated, Smith says the water will be pure enough to water the community’s parks in the summer. The new facility is already attracting curious visitors, which could boost an already thriving tourism industry.

“Barriere is a gateway to recreation,” Smith said. “From here, you can go out to all the fishing lakes, and all the recreational facilities, ski trails, snowmobiling, whatever. There’s lots of recreation in the area.” 

Another tourist attraction is the North Thompson Fall Fair, now in its 68th year. 

“It’s very good for the economy of the community, and tremendous for our businesses,” said Jill Hayward, president of the Fall Fair Association. “You know, Labour Day weekend everybody’s full, everybody sells everything, so we feel really good about that. And, it’s kind of a responsibility that we take on seriously that we have to have that Fall Fair because our community needs it.” 

Barriere has struggled to attract young families to town. According to real estate agent Kathy Campbell, that’s slowly changing. 

“For a long time it was kind of that just retiring, the empty nesters, but now it’s young families moving into the community and there’s talk about reopening one of our schools in the near future to take up the excess that they have at the elementary school.” 

The Barriere and District Health Centre has two doctor available to patients 5 days a week, and the potential to hire on another. 

“The only negative is it’s not open on the weekends,” said Mayor Virginia Smith. “So, we’re dependent on Kamloops then.”

In spite of all of the small community’s past and current challenges, Barriere is surviving, and continuing to grow at a slow and steady rate. 

“Barriere never booms,” Bill Kershaw said. “It’s been a slow growing project, but we never really slide back too far and I think we take on challenges that are brought on by the fire … and we find a way to make it work.”