The District of Logan Lake will create new strategies and opportunities for local resource development, thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada, through Western Economic Diversification Canada.
Federal funding of $39,000 was announced today by the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety and Member of Parliament for Okanagan-Coquihalla, 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 under the Community Economic Diversification Initiative (CEDI), a component of the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program.
"This investment will enable Logan Lake to identify new business opportunities that will allow them to diversify their local economy," said Minister Day. "The resulting marketing plan will enable the District to take the necessary steps to ensure the economic growth of the region continues, including providing opportunities for our young people to stay in Logan Lake. .
"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 plan for their economic future."
Funding will help the District of Logan Lake to deliver the "Logan Lake Sourcing and Value Added Marketing Plan", which will ensure a supply of raw materials for local facilities, reduce mountain pine beetle waste, train and retain students, and attract a new private sector value added facility into the community.
"Our Log Sourcing and Value Added Marketing plan will further enhance the work and partnerships we have already established with the high school," said Mayor Ella Brown of Logan Lake. "We are proud of these partnerships as they have been a very creative way of furthering educational opportunities for students in Logan Lake, while enhancing their life skills as well. We hope to create sustainable jobs with this opportunity, and everyone knows the value of employment."
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 program 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. This 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 and 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/
For additional information, contact:
Pierre Floréa
Director of Communications
Office of the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification
Telephone: (613) 943-1838
Gwen Mason
Corporate Administrator
District of Logan Lake
Telephone: (250) 523-6225
