Canada and British Columbia have announced funding for infrastructure in the Northern part of the province.
A total of $5.7 million is being provided between nine projects through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s new COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream.
The Federal Government will be contributing over $5.1 million and the province is providing over $615,000.
Member of Parliament for Fleetwood-Port Kells Ken Hardie said the federal government will cover 80% of most projects and 100% for projects intended for Indigenous communities.
“These projects respond to a growing demand for administrative, cultural, recreational spaces including outdoor trails and pathways that promote healthy and active communities,” he said.
The Smithers-Laidlaw Trail is included in this funding stream with $1,172,752 from the federal government and $293,188 from the province.
Additionally, the Burns Lake Arena will be getting HVAC system repairs and upgrades with $120,000 from the federal government and $30,000 from the province.
Lastly, the federal government has provided $398,500 for the Gitsegukla Band for the Gitsegukla Community Kitchen Retrofit.
B.C. ‘s Minister of Municipal Affairs Josie Osbourne explained what can be expected with the Kitchen Retrofit in Gitsegukla.
“We’re excited to support this project with funding to update a community kitchen so it can better accommodate the delivery of breakfast and lunch programs. The kitchen is also going to be used for cooking lessons so important traditional cooking customs can live on through future generations,” she said.
Osbourne added a generator will also be added for this project to protect the food supply in case of a power outage.