Prince George will soon be part of the expansion of a new federal agency dedicated to economic development in British Columbia.
Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada known as PacifiCan attended the TrueNorth Business Development Forum, hosted by the Prince George Chamber of Commerce.
PacifiCan is a new federal agency dedicated to driving economic development in British Columbia.
Throughout the coming year, PacifiCan will expand its on-the-ground presence beyond its existing office in Vancouver. This will include a new headquarters in Surrey and staff in Campbell River, Cranbrook, Fort St. John, Kelowna, Prince Rupert, Victoria and Prince George.
“We are looking at the uniqueness of B.C. but we know that B.C. is quite vast so we want to make sure that the knowledge base and uniqueness of each region is drawn in so, we are expanding the offices and finding the right people to staff them,” said Sajjan.
“There’s so much potential here,” said Sajjan about Prince George.
He said having a dedicated office in the community will help the agency better gauge the needs of the region.
“I have the authority to adjust programming based on the needs so this will help drive programming for ourselves but more importantly we need to get out to the people who are starting up ideas and say listen I think we can help you out,” added Sajjan.
“It’s about pushing information out and making sure we get appropriate advice for the region as well.”
In his remarks, Sajjan described how PacifiCan is resourced with $110 million a year to support economic development by investing in British Columbian businesses and communities and helping through advising, pathfinding, and convening.
PacifiCan intends to help partnerships across government, industry and community to help drive economic success.
He also referenced over $1.9 million in investments for six recipients in Prince George and surrounding communities that he announced earlier in the day while visiting the Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre in Prince George.
He said with the launch PacifiCan, BC businesses have a dedicated federal partner that recognizes the unique strengths and challenges of BC’s dynamic economy.
