MLAs Anderson and Conroy say funding will help provide people in the Kootenays with new safe and reliable access to transportation

Posted in: , ,

NELSON – Local New Democrat MLAs say that funding for local transportation projects will give people more options to get around in the Kootenays.

“Having more options for getting around the region – whether for work, school, daily errands, recreation, or medical appointments – will benefit so many people in the Kootenays,” said Brittny Anderson, MLA for Nelson-Creston. “I’m glad we are able to help expand existing services and explore new ones with this funding.”

With support from the B.C. government, $650,000 in funding is being distributed by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior to 21 organizations across the province working on local transportation projects.

“Stronger transportation networks help make stronger communities, where people can build good lives,” said Katrine Conroy, MLA for Kootenay West. “These locally developed projects will reflect the unique needs of people in our Kootenay communities.”

In the Kootenays, ten projects received funding, for a total of $307,424 distributed in the region:

  • Whitewater Ski Resorts: Whitewater Ski Resort Shuttle expansion – $65,000
  • Arrow and Slocan Lake Community Services: Medical Bus Expansion – $47,974
  • Next Gen Transit: Bus Operator Class 2 Driver Training – $25,200
  • Kootenay Carshare Cooperative: Air Carshare Communication Enhancement Project – $25,000
  • Kootenay Employment Service Society: Feasibility Study for Affordable Housing Community Shared Transportation in the Creston Valley – $25,000
  • Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce: West Kootenay Regional Shuttle Feasibility Study – $25,000
  • Community Futures Central Kootenay: Rural ride-hailing feasibility study – $25,000
  • Regional District of Central Kootenay: Establishing a Values Based Approach to Governance – $25,000
  • Community Energy Association: Lower Kootenay Band Electric Health Shuttle Study – $25,000
  • The Castlegar and District Community Services Society: Volunteer Driver Services in the West Kootenay Boundary Region: Planning & Partnership Development – $19,250

This funding provides grants to enhance local transportation projects in the Southern Interior of B.C., with a primary focus on enhancing transportation in small, rural, and Indigenous communities where there is little public transportation access, or identified gaps in transportation, like the Kootenays.

Distribution of funding for these projects comes after the 2023 Regional Ground Transportation Study conducted by ETSI-BC, which identified opportunities around rural inter-city transport options in the Southern Interior. This step of distributing funds puts the findings of the study into concrete actions for people in the region by supporting projects that help provide safe and reliable access to transportation.

Learn More: https://www.etsi-bc.ca/regional-transportation-enhancement-funding-awarded-to-21-recipients/