WHEREAS rural areas of BC have been struck with numerous economic hardships in past years including the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy crisis, increased fuel prices, the mountain pine beetle epidemic, and centralization of government spending to urban centres; AND WHEREAS the Province has provided funding to various beetle action coalitions to recommend ways to improve the economic and social conditions of rural British Columbia, and the three beetle action coalitions have worked together on the Rural BC Project and after considerable research have released a position paper titled, The Pathway to Prosperity in British Columbia Runs Through its Rural Places: A Long-term Strategy for Rural Development, that will assist in the development of a strategy to assist rural BC communities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government support the Rural BC Project by working with rural BC to create: - a BC rural development strategy; - new rural economic development programming; - a rural dividend; - rural advocacy Minister of Rural BC, and a catalyst organization; and - a rural BC venture capital program to reverse rural economic decline and re-establish rural BC as a place which provides healthy sustainable economies, good jobs and strong communities that contribute to making BC a stronger, more resilient province.
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism Skills Training Minister Responsible for Labour The importance of rural BC is well recognized by the Province and the Premier. Rural BC is well represented in government decision-making by the significant number of Cabinet Ministers who represent rural areas of the Province. Government has also appointed Donna Barnett as Parliamentary Secretary responsible for rural BC. The provincial government has already taken substantive action on many of the issues identified by the Rural BC Project. For example, in terms of rural economic development funding, the provincial government has provided 285 million to capitalize the Northern Development, Southern Interior and Island Coastal Development Initiative Trusts. Since 2001, the provincial government has provided over 770 million in various forms of revenue sharing with rural local governments and over 340 million in revenue-sharing with First Nations. The Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development is accountable for creating a framework for a rural dividend for communities in the northwest that will be impacted by the opportunities that will arise from the LNG opportunity. Government is continuing to work with representatives of the three regional Beetle Action Coalitions BACs on the Rural BC Project findings and recommendations. The Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training is working with representatives from the BACs and government ministries to identify and discuss current government rural development initiatives and investments. While some rural communities have faced economic challenges over the past decade, others have prospered. Most of the proposed major economic projects in the Province over the next decade will be situated in rural BC. Government will continue to work with rural communities and First Nations leaders to build vibrant and sustainable rural regions and communities.