The BC government is allocating $10 million of federal funding to help create jobs and diversify the economies of communities in the Mackenzie and Peace regions.
The money is designed to help mitigate economic impacts from the “Intergovernmental Partnership Agreement for the Conservation of the Central Group of the Southern Mountain Caribou”, which was signed between the Federal and Provincial Governments and Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations.
As part of the Partnership Agreement process, the federal government provided $10 million to the BC government to help create jobs and alleviate potential impacts in the Peace Region, especially within 100 kilometres of the communities of Mackenzie, Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge. The fund will grow these local economies while showcasing the province’s natural treasures.
“Our government is committed to protecting nature and halting and reversing biodiversity loss. All actions, national or regional, are critical to the protection of caribou,” said Steven Guilbeault, federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “The 2020 Partnership Agreement was an important part of the conservation plan for the Southern Mountain Caribou herds, and its implementation can stimulate innovation, have positive economic effects and be compatible with regional economic development. This community trust is an additional tool to help achieve those outcomes.”
The money has been put into a trust, called the South Peace Mackenzie Economic Diversification and Stabilization Trust, administered by an independent trustee with input from two regional advisory committees composed of representatives from local communities (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) and key regional stakeholders. The regional advisory committees will review job-creation proposals and recommend projects for funding approval by the trustee, up to $250,000 for a single application.
Funds can be used for a wide variety of programs, including:
- The development of regional and community strategic planning;
- Development of sustainable activities that are expected to have long term economic benefits;
- Grants to help create “new income earning positions”;
- A transition to business and economic activities that are consistent with the recovery of the Southern Mountain Caribou herds;
- The development of alternative, viable and sustainable economic activities, including the performance of feasibility studies and other research related to those activities;
- The development and deployment of investment attraction tools;
- The development and support of industries and other commercial ventures that had not previously been significant factors or even present in the Specified area;
- The implementation of training programs to develop new skills that will be needed by an individual to perform the functions required in a new income earning position;
- The acquisition of equipment that will be needed in order to create a new income earning position;
- Relevant studies, research activities, and business plan proposals that would support a realistic, viable and sustainable commercial opportunity that could create new income earning positions;
- Research, development, testing and commercialization support for proving out opportunities to support the establishment of new industries in the specified area;
- Development and deployment of investment attraction policies and tools;
- and support for community members to attend meetings, seminars or forums directly related to viable business plans and/or proposals.
To find out more, visit the trust website at www.spmtrust.ca.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.