Under the BC Rural Dividend, the Province is providing $100,000 to the Village of McBride, MLA for Prince George-Valemount Shirley Bond announced today.

McBride will use the grant to build new mountain bike trails for the McBride Peak and Teare Mountain Trail Network. The project will also include a work-related training component.

The funding is part of the $8.1 million being provided to 73 local governments, First Nations and not-for-profit organizations around the province.

The BC Rural Dividend program provides grants of up to $100,000 each for single applicants, and up to $500,000 for partnerships, to promote economic diversity while contributing to a community’s overall liveability and sustainability.

Funding is available in four categories: community capacity building, workforce development, community and economic development, and business sector development.

As part of a continuous improvement process, the program’s eligibility requirements were reviewed over the summer months. The updated BC Rural Dividend Program Guide is now available online.  The second intake of the BC Rural Dividend runs until Oct. 31. More details are available online: www.gov.bc.ca/ruraldividend

Quotes:

Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond –

“This funding will allow McBride to develop mountain bike trails as part of a strategy to attract more visitors to the region and to help diversify the economy in the Robson Valley Region. There will also be a training component as part of the plan. The BC Rural Dividend is designed to support small communities like McBride as they address priority projects and initiatives. This $100,000 is in addition to the $10,000 planning grant that McBride received in the first round of funding.”

Mayor of McBride Loranne Martin –

“The Rural Dividend funding is a great boost for our biking club. It's exactly what they need to move to the next level. Not only does the biking club get to work with master builders, we also get a new trail system built for our community. Economic development has been a focus of our council and this funding provides our community with an opportunity to expand what we can offer visitors to our region. This will help boost our tourism during the summer months.”

Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson –

“The response to the first application intake for projects was overwhelming. The diversity of applications received reflects that the Rural Dividend is applicant driven. Communities have submitted applications that are best suited to the unique needs of their community.”

Parliamentary Secretary Donna Barnett –

“The second project intake window runs until Oct. 31, which will see more communities benefit. One of the benefits of the Rural Dividend is that communities can apply as often as they like.”

Quick Facts:

• The BC Rural Dividend is part of government’s multi-faceted response to assisting rural communities and complements existing initiatives supporting rural communities.
• The criteria for the BC Rural Dividend were developed with input from the 13-member Rural Advisory Council, which was formed in March 2015.

Learn More:

Rural Dividend: www.gov.bc.ca/ruraldividend

Rural Advisory Council: http://ow.ly/NFhU301MfRv