Douglas Gook is a third-generation settler who has lived and worked in the Cariboo and Nechako Lakes region of the BC interior for nearly all his 64 years. Raised on the shores of Dragon Lake near Quesnel his respect for land-air-water came from the forest and farming life of his youth and those values have continued to be the focus of his life ever since

His father was one of his mentors in running for office as he had run several times for the federal Social Credit party The SC party policy of reestablishing citizen control over the Bank of Canada and money supply is still a key pillar of learning from his fathers’ mentorship

Douglas is a lifelong self-directed student of ecological commerce and has done post-secondary studies with the EcoForestry Institute He is a director of the BC Environmental Network and Spirit Dance Cooperative Community He farms using biodynamic principles wildcrafts forest medicinal/edibles is a beekeeper and is a vendor at numerous farmers markets in the region Through Silvequus Selection Systems he works with First Nations ENGOs and communities to achieve greater implementation of Natural Selection Forestry (NSF). As one of the founders of the Cariboo Horse Loggers Association back in 1980 he has been passionate about transforming the current corporate industrial fibre high-grading example of forest exploitation into a NSF based model

When the Imperial Metals Mt Polley mine was first proposed he opposed the massive slurry Tailings Storage Facility TSF that was perched above Quesnel Lake So on August 4th 2014 when the TSF burst one of his worst nightmares in the form of the largest toxic tailings disaster in Canadian history took place After almost ten years the nightmare continues as there has been practically no clean up no sanctions no charges no fines and no inquiry One of the key reasons he is running in this election is to work hard for a change to this negligence and to make sure this will never happen again anywhere

Douglas’ two adult children have inspired his activism and life journey of working for economic social and environmental justice.