| August 25, 2010 VICTORIA - The Province and the City of Cranbrook have signed an agreement that will support the community's future economic development, announced Community and Rural Development Minister Ben Stewart and Cranbrook Mayor Scott Manjak. "Communities First Agreements are a new approach that we are piloting in various areas across B.C.," said Stewart. "Each of the communities identify their priorities for increasing their economic resilience and sustainability, as Cranbrook has done, so that we can work together to help achieve its vision through targeted resource allocation and partnerships." Cranbrook and the Province have identified seven priority projects to address through the agreement, including:
"Economic diversification is key to the long-term prosperity of Cranbrook and the entire East Kootenays," said Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett. "The priority projects identified in this initiative will go a long way to securing a stable economic future for the region." "I want to thank Minister Stewart and our MLA Bill Bennett for selecting Cranbrook as a pilot city for this community economic development initiative," said Manjak. "This agreement will support and complement our Economic Development Strategy, as well as improving our ability to act quickly on priority activities to support our overall economic development vision, which is to encourage growth and investment in our community and surrounding area." It is anticipated that RuralBC Secretariat staff will work with up to 14 communities across the province over the next three years to develop similar agreements. Announced by Premier Gordon Campbell at the 2008 Union of BC Municipalities convention, the RuralBC Secretariat is a vehicle to link rural communities to provincial government services. To learn more, visit www.ruralbc.gov.bc.ca online. -30- | |
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