POWELL RIVER – New Democrat MLA Nicholas Simons says a grant is coming to Powell River to support economic recovery and expansion as a result of the tisk ^wat mill curtailment.

“People in Powell River have faced a number of challenges in the last two years, with the workers and families at the tisk ^wat mill experiencing additional challenges from curtailment,” said MLA Simons. “The province is working with the City of Powell River to support economic recovery and to promote diversification, and I’m confident that this funding will help our beautiful city remain resilient.”

The province is providing a grant of $259,000 to the City of Powell River to create a River Waterfront Strategy & Coastline Colab Entrepreneurial Development Program. The city will prepare and implement a waterfront strategy to further strengthen the existing waterfront commercial core and mitigate community and economic impacts as a result of the Paper Excellence Catalyst Paper tisk ^wat mill curtailment.

Rural Development grants are provided by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. Other grant recipients in this round include Kaslo, Nakusp, the Kootenay-Boundary Regional District, Merritt, and Princeton. The CERIP was created to respond to the needs of communities recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This recovery funding is part of the government’s commitment to build resilient communities as outlined within the StrongerBC Economic Plan. The plan moves British Columbia forward by tackling the challenges of today while growing an economy that works for everyone. This long-term plan builds on B.C.’s strong economic recovery.