“After committing over a million dollars in new funding in the region last year, we are well on our way to another million this year,” said Society Chair, Dave Merz. “We are working with six new directors on the board, and they are learning quickly how to make the difficult decisions about all the worthy proposals we receive.”
The biggest project approved was $255,000 towards the third phase of Vanderhoof’s downtown revitalization, adding to the $375,000 the NKDF already invested in the first two phases. The Rotary Club of Vanderhoof will receive $7,500 for a project converting a CN rail car into a bridge along a walking trail linking Riverside Park with the local museum, both sites having also been supported by the NKDF in prior years. Nearby Fort Fraser will get $5,400 towards enhancing the tourist info centre, which is to be housed in a caboose.
Colleen Nyce, Manager Corporate Affairs and Community Relations, Alcan, British Columbia, and member of the board of the NKDF says, “The $7.5 million Alcan put into this perpetual grant fund appears to be making a real difference in the watershed communities. As we tour the area, we are pleased to see the results of NKDF funding and the community pride it effects.”
According to Skeena MLA Roger Harris, “The province’s $7.5 million contribution to this fund is paying off every year in projects with a lasting legacy. I am looking forward to seeing what else can be achieved in the coming year.”
The Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund Society is a non-profit society governed by ten directors and staffed by one part-time manager. The society works to promote sustainable economic development in British Columbia’s northwestern communities, particularly those affected by the Kitimat-Kemano project and the creation of the Nechako Reservoir.
The Government of B.C. and Alcan Inc. each contributed $7.5 million to establish the Northern Development Fund in 1999. The investment income generated from this fund supports the grants program.
To the Board Members of the Nechako Kitamaat Development Fund Society, On behalf of the Burns Lake Mountain Biking Association (BLMBA) it is an honour to have this opportunity to try to articulate adequately what...