Government of Canada Investment Strengthens Tourism in Omineca and Southern Interior Regions

January 24, 2009

 

Westbank, British Columbia — Today, the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade, Minister for the Asia Pacific Gateway and Member of Parliament for Okanagan - Coquihalla, on behalf of the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, announced a Government of Canada investment of more than $95,000 towards the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia to develop a dynamic tourism strategy for the Omineca and Southern Interior Regions. Funding is provided through Western Economic Diversification Canada under the Community Economic Diversification Initiative (CEDI), a component of the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program.

"Today’s investment will support the growing tourism industry in the Omineca and Southern Interior Regions," said Minister Day. "Developing local tourism is a renewal option for Mountain Pine Beetle affected communities seeking new diversification options for their local economy."

Funding will support the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia (COTA) to develop strategies to enhance economic diversification through the identification of tourism opportunities and key regional assets. Strategic Action Plans for the Omineca region and Southern Interior will be developed as result of this information. These plans will be an important resource for land use planners, tourism stakeholders and First Nations communities as a resource to identify regional tourism opportunities that can be coordinated on a wider scale.

“The mountain pine beetle presents an unprecedented challenge to the backbone of B.C.’s tourism product: our unparalleled super natural environment,” stated Steve Regan, COTA’s President and CEO.  “Ensuring that we effectively mitigate impacts on tourism to help communities diversify their economies in the coming years will be imperative.”

Managed by Western Economic Diversification Canada, CEDI will invest more than $33 million over two years towards projects in communities most at risk from the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation. The program supports a wide range of projects that further economic growth, job creation and future community sustainability.

The CEDI program is part of the Government of Canada’s $200 million comprehensive response to mitigate the short- and long-term effects of the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation on B.C.’s forestry sector. This federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program is led by Natural Resources Canada, in collaboration with Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) and Transport Canada.

Western Economic Diversification Canada in partnership with the provinces, industry associations, and communities promotes the development and diversification of the western economy, coordinates federal economic activities in the West and represents the interests of western Canadians in national decision-making.

For more information on the federal Mountain Pine Beetle Program, please visit: http://mpb.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/