Province grants $1 million to Peace Partnership Committee

Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development Peter Fassbender announced today the B.C. government has provided a $1 million grant for the activities and operations of the partnership committee — consisting of three representatives from local government, and three from the provincial government.

The BC Government says the grant will help conduct studies, identify impediments to regional growth and facilitate implementation, as established in the agreement.

“The Peace Country is the heartland of natural resource development and makes a significant contribution to B.C.’s economy,” said Peace River North MLA Pat Pimm, saying the agreement will help build infrastructure the communities involved require to support industry.

The Peace River Regional District will manage the funding on behalf of the partnership committee.

“We want to ensure that Peace communities benefit from investments, services and infrastructure,” said Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier. “The partnership committee’s work will help identify ways to establish these benefits.

The $1.1 billion, 20-year Peace River Agreement provides $50 million in annual funding to the eight local governments in the region to support services and infrastructure for industrial expansion — particularly in the oil and gas sector.