By Cheryl Jahn

NDIT to oversee new fund for Northern communities

Feb 5, 2021 | 12:21 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The Province has created a new Northern Health Communities Fund to help 22 local government and 27 First Nations communities impacted by the Coastal GasLink and LNG Canada projects.

“We’ve been hearing from Northern communities for certain about the needs they have, especially where there’s rapid economic development and growth,” explains Josie Osborne, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “So this fund is designed to help those communities.”

It’s a $25 million fund overseen by the Northern Development Initiative Trust.

“What are some of the things they might need to address?” explains Joel McKay, CEO for the Trust. “It might be housing. It might be health care services that they need. It might be economic development services that they need. It might be something as simple as the capacity to better build the relationship between industry or between local government and First Nations communities.” The fund is broken into two envelopes.

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The first is a capacity-building fund, in which applicants can receive up to a maximum of $100,000 per application. The other is the capital funding, in which an applicant can access a maximum of $300,000.

“The capacity building fund is designed to expand services. So, for example, a child care facility that needs to extend its hours or mental health services that we need more of in our communities to support people,” explains Osborne. “On the capital side, maybe it’s a child care centre that needs renovations or some updates or a new playground.”

The first intake is right around the corner, February 26th. And McKay has a word to the wise for those planning to apply.

“The first one closes February 26th followed by May 14th. And then it will be on NDI’s regularly quarterly intake going forward until the money is exhausted. And, although we have goals to see the money spent over a five-year period, dependent on the need, the funds could reasonably be spent before that.”

The applications can be submitted online.