More from Shuswap Economic Development meeting

One thing rural areas have in common it is hard to get a good paying job that is steady. It is hard to get a part time job. It is hard to get a job at all! We know it is tough but with this latest statistic that one of the Directors brought to the table it shows how bad it really is. All jobs that were created in BC; the lower mainland had created 300,000 and in all of rural BC there were only 1,000 new jobs created. The need for a change in the Provincial policies to help create jobs in rural BC, is obvious. Interior cities are not the rural areas that the province and the federal government need to build.  More support  is needed for job creation in rural communities. 

What rural areas need is better infrastructure such as transportation and communication (secure stable internet service). Some of the ideas that were thrown around at the Shuswap Economic Development meeting were; homeowners grants; a special grant for rural areas, transit subsidized, improved airport service, and we as rural areas have to work harder at attracting business.

There is some help available such as; the Federal government supports businesses wanting to export products out the country. In the coming year, TELUS plans to relook at the 10 year contracts they have made with contractors to bring internet to rural areas. They may find that the quality, speed and quality of internet service has not been as good as they would like. Colin Mayes wanted input as to where money should be spent in their budget- maybe we should suggest to him to put it towards rural places. SIDIT trust money, it was wondered if those finds could be used to help kick start some rural innovation to bring jobs to the communities.

                (SIDIT)Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust, is a grant program provides non-repayable funding for municipalities, regional districts, First Nations, registered non-profit societies, institutions, and industry associations to support regional investments in economic development projects that will have benefits for the Southern Interior.  Proposals from private interests do not qualify for grants. What SIDIT wants to see and will support:

• Contribution towards economic sustainability of small communities
• Regional impact
• Realistic measurement criteria established to assess project outputs
• Job creation, job preservation, or enhancement
• Economic diversification
• Leveraging other funds (It is expected that projects supported by SIDIT will have a minimum of matching funds invested by either the project proponent or other parties)
• Filling funding gaps
• Avoiding overlap and duplication
• Economic merit
• Research and Development leading to commercialization
• Strategic initiatives
• Ensuring geographic sensitivity in the disbursement of SIDIT funds