Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Nathan Cullen, B.C. Minister of Municipal Affairs, announced joint funding for new and existing community spaces in four B.C. communities.
Funding announced today will support 2 Indigenous-led projects. The K'ómoks First Nation will build a new Community Wellbeing Centre building which will include a reception area and gathering space; traditional and modern health, culture, youth, elder, and language rooms; shared programming space; and a commercial kitchen. The First Nations of Ashcroft Indian Band will construct a community recreation centre that blends community, recreation, and cultural uses into one facility that will feature a gym, community kitchen, multi-purpose rooms and cultural repository.
Two additional communities in B.C. will benefit from joint federal-provincial funding. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen will upgrade key components of its Oliver & District Arena, improving the facility's accessibility and energy efficiency, and the Cariboo Regional District will expand the region's wheelchair-accessible wilderness trails network through the development of three new trails.
The Government of Canada is investing more than $5.8 million towards these projects. The Government of British Columbia is contributing more than $2.3 million, while Indigenous community and regional district recipients are providing more than $2.8 million.
