The provincial government awarded $14 million to support rural economic development last week, and Boundary businesses and communities will have the chance to benefit from more than $650,000 in grants from that sum.
The largest grant destined for the Boundary – $500,000 – will go to supporting the region’s meat farmers. Flowing through the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, the money is meant to go towards building a meat processing facility, as well as establishing a grass-fed certification program for local farmers. The money essentially replaces what the West Community Services Co-op, based in Rock Creek, had hoped to get through the province’s Rural Dividend Fund last year, before that program was cancelled by the province in September, when it said it was diverting the money to communities hit hardest by mill closures. This latest round of grants targeted for rural communities addresses many of the projects that were hoping to secure funding through that program as well.
The Village of Midway was awarded $10,000 in the latest grants to hire a business consultant and study the feasibility of expanding its community centre, while Community Futures Boundary received nearly $100,000 to help Boundary businesses solidify themselves and grow as they continue to recover from the impacts of the 2018 flood, and more recently the effects of COVID-19 on their bottom lines. The money will also fund training for businesses on how to prepare for potential disasters in the future.
The City of Grand Forks also secured money for a project it had pitched to the Rural Dividend Fund las year. The city was awarded $40,000 to develop a way-finding program master plan, which is meant to create unified signage throughout the city to encourage visitors and residents alike to stop, shop and explore.
Related: West Boundary food hub looking for new funding
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