New community development programs are coming to Prince George and communities throughout northern B.C.
Today during a livestream (Sept. 17), Northern Development officially launched Trust 2020, introducing a new suite of six community development programs alongside a new website and online application system.
For the past two years, Northern Development staff have been working to modernize its approach to community development, which is one of its key pillars.
During the summer of 2019, Trust staff engaged with local governments, First Nations bands, not-for-profit groups and economic development organizations throughout the region to gather feedback on funding areas to meet the current and future needs of their communities.
“We asked those questions and took that feedback and incorporated it into the new suite of community development programs,” said Northern Development CEO Joel McKay during the announcement.
“It’s not just about jobs and revenue creations but it’s also about amenities and services that make our communities an attractive place to call home.”
The new programs include community places, cultural infrastructure, economic infrastructure, main street revitalization planning, main street revitalization capital and recreation infrastructure.
These six new programs are replacing the Community Halls and Recreation Facilities and the Economic Diversification Infrastructure programs, but projects that were previously funded under those two programs will still be eligible.
In addition, the Trust has expanded its eligibility criteria to include such projects as playgrounds, dog parks, libraries, public washrooms and main street beautification.
The improvements also introduce fresh branding for Northern Development, which is evident in the new website, as well as a new online application system that allows for increased efficiency and ease when applying.
“We are launching a new website alongside these programs to reflect an evolution in who we are as an organization. We think it captures more of the stories of northern B.C. and where the Trust is making a difference in communities,” said McKay.
“It's about the people whose lives are improving because they have access to facilities that we are helping to upgrade and we are one small part of that.”
Currently, two programs, Grant Writing Support and Business Façade Improvement, are available to apply for online with the remaining programs expected to be added through 2021 and 2022.
Northern Development is an independent regional economic development corporation focused on stimulating economic growth and job creation in central and northern B.C. regions.
To date, the Trust has approved more than $267 million in funding to more than 4,178 projects in various communities.
