Media Release: Former Northern Rockies Mayor Bill Streeper Passes at Age 70

MEDIA RELEASE

FORT NELSON, B.C. – On November 5, 2022, former Mayor Bill Streeper passed away at age 70.

Mayor and Council of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM), offer their condolences to the family and friends of lifelong resident, community champion and former elected official Bill Streeper.

Bill Streeper served three terms (2008-2018) as Mayor of Fort Nelson and then the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, and before that in a partial term as a Town Councillor.

A strong and often relentless advocate on behalf of the community with both the Provincial and Federal governments, never hesitating to call Cabinet Ministers directly, Bill inevitably ended up on a first-name basis with most. His history in the region spanned a half-century, from barging on the waterways of the Northern Rockies and into the Territories, to his involvement in major industries including oil and gas, transportation, and commercial development.

Some of his notable accomplishments while in office at the NRRM included the rebuilding of the Northern Rockies Regional Recreation Centre, after its collapse; the incorporation of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality as the first of its kind in the Province; the successful negotiation of the Infrastructure Development Contribution Agreement (IDCA), providing sustainable, provincial funding; and the replacement of the Fort Nelson River Bridge (Bailey Bridge) on Highway 77, connecting Fort Nelson with the Northwest Territories and Liard Basin shale gas development.

“We are saddened by Bill’s death, though will always remember his legacy,” says Mayor Rob Fraser. “He was a committed Mayor and community member who worked tirelessly to make sure the NRRM remained viable throughout the ups and downs of its economic history.”

Bill Streeper was a generous supporter of local service organizations, donating his mayoral stipends annually, amounting to more than $300,000 over the duration of his time as an elected official.

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