BRITISH COLUMBIA – Rural and remote communities, First Nations and not-for-profit organizations are encouraged to submit applications for BC’s new economic diversification program aimed to help strengthen their economies.
The first intake for applications to receive funding from the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP) will close on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, with a second intake planned for spring 2023.
“People in rural BC work tirelessly to build vibrant, inviting communities and we are proud to support them,” said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “Through this new program, we are giving communities the tools they need to diversify and grow their economies, and create more opportunities and jobs for people across BC.”
The BC government has allocated $33 million annually for three years for rural and remote community projects, including grants for capacity building and infrastructure projects. A portion of the funding is dedicated to communities affected by changes in the forest sector.
“People across rural BC know how to pick themselves up and come back even stronger when times get tough,” said Roly Russell, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development. “REDIP is one part of our plan to help build more resilient, stable rural economies, and I’m eager to see the projects that communities bring forward to create new opportunities for residents and newcomers alike.”
Building resilient communities is a key action of the StrongerBC Economic Plan, helping move British Columbia forward by tackling challenges and growing the economy.
Communities can receive REDIP funding through three streams:
- Economic diversification – Projects that plan or implement programs, services and infrastructure to support economic development and diversification in communities with populations of 25,000 or less (maximum funding: $1 million).
- Economic capacity – Projects that build local capacity and improve ability to support economic development and diversification in communities with populations of 2,500 or less (maximum funding: $100,000).
- Forest impact transition – Projects that support economic recovery and diversification in affected forest-dependent communities (maximum funding: $500,000).
