Local Economic Development Projects Approved
DEC 7, 2005

BURNS LAKE - More than $49,000 in funding from the Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund Society (NKDFS) will go to five community economic development projects in the Burns Lake area, society chair Mike Robertson announced today. “With this batch of projects, the society has approved more than $3 million in funding for community economic development projects since its inception,” said Robertson.

The largest project approved at the November 16th meeting in Smithers was $30,000 for an upgrade to the Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena in Burns Lake. The Burns Lake Native Development Corporation will receive $3,350 toward an economic development conference, and the Lakes District Airport Society was approved for $5,000 to complete a feasibility analysis for a Terminal Building to be constructed at the Burns Lake airport. The Burns Lake Arts and Culture Committee will receive $7,305 to assist with a Community Arts Festival, and the Let’s Enhance & Develop Society from Burns Lake was given approval for $3,360 allocation to conduct a planning assessment for the Hybrid Trail System Initiative in that community.

“It is vital we support our province’s northern communities and help promote local efforts to improve culture, the arts and infrastructure initiatives,” said Dennis MacKAY, MLA for Bulkley Valley – Stikine. “The BC Government is a proud partner and applauds the NKDFS for helping strengthen our region. This funding is great news for the people of Burns Lake.”

Colleen Nyce, Manager Corporate Affairs and Community Relations, Alcan, British Columbia, and member of the board of the NKDFS is "very pleased to know that Alcan's $7.5 million dollar economic contribution to this perpetual fund is being utilized on a consistent basis. We are also encouraged to see the calibre and number of good community development proposals that come forward from across the region."

The Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund Society was jointly established in 1997 with a combined contribution of $15 million by the government of British Columbia and Alcan Inc. The Fund’s investment area includes lands impacted by the original Kemano project and focuses on those communities in the Nechako and Haisla regions of the north.

The Society encourages applications from local governments and legally incorporated non-profit organizations. NKDF invests in projects that create sustainable employment, diversify the economy, and improve the basic infrastructure needed for community stability, quality of life and growth.

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Contact:  Dan Boudreau, Manager, Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund Society

Lakes Outdoor Recreation Society

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