Travel between Mackenzie and Fort St. James may soon take half the time, as the Government of Canada, through Western Economic Diversification Canada, announced funding today toward a study to determine the feasibility for upgrades to the local connector road.
Federal funding of $474,000 was announced by Jay Hill, Member of Parliament for Prince George - Peace River on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification and the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources. Funding is provided through the Community Economic Diversification Initiative (CEDI), a component of the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program.
"Reducing travel time and improving the safety of trips between Mackenzie and Fort St. James will have a number of positive economic outcomes for both communities," said Secretary of State Hill. "With this investment, our Government is ensuring communities have the information they need to make informed decisions about economic diversification opportunities."
"The project announced today is an example of how the Government of Canada is addressing the needs of communities affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation," said Minister Lunn. "Through this support, our government is helping impacted communities turn challenges into economic opportunities."
Funding will help the Districts of Mackenzie and Fort St. James study the necessary work to turn the current, seasonal one-lane connector road into a two-lane road that is available year-round. Work will include performing the preliminary costing, road surveys and planning.
Currently, a one-way trip between Fort St. James and Mackenzie is almost 400 kilometres. The current connector road cuts 200 kilometres from the trip, but is only open for seasonal, forestry use.
"The Fort St. James - Mackenzie Connector will provide safe, efficient, year-round movement of resources, industrial traffic and general trade and commerce between the two communities," said Mayor Stephanie Killam. "A potential increase in logging traffic due to the mountain pine beetle, the Mackenzie Green Energy Cogeneration facility, and the potential development of the Mount Milligan copper-gold deposit are all projects that will contribute to the strengthening of the region's economy and will benefit from an upgraded road."
Managed by Western Economic Diversification Canada, CEDI will invest more than $33 million over two years towards projects in communities most at risk from the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation. The program supports a wide range of projects that further economic growth, job creation and future community sustainability.
The CEDI is part of the Government of Canada's $200 million comprehensive response to mitigate the short- and long-term effects of the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation on B.C.'s forestry sector. The federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program is led by Natural Resources Canada, in collaboration with Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) and Transport Canada.
Western Economic Diversification Canada is a department of the Government of Canada that works in partnership with the provinces, industry associations and communities to promote the development and diversification of the western economy as well as to represent the interests of the West in national decision-making.
For more information on the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program, please visit: http://mpb.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/publications_e.html.
For additional information, contact:
Catherine Brown
Communications Officer
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Tel: (604) 666-1306
Carla Seguin
Economic Development Officer
District of Mackenzie
Mackenzie, BC
Tel: (250) 997-3221
