The streets of Fort Nelson were alive with activity on September 6 and 7 thanks to the fourth annual Street Festival.
Approximately 550 people were on-hand at this year’s festival, which is held in and around the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum. This year’s festival theme was building communities through arts and heritage.
Northern Development helped fund the Street Festival through our Fabulous Festivals and Events program.
Remote camp work is a significant employment model in northern communities, supporting industries such as oil and gas, mining, construction, and forestry across the region. While it offers valuable economic opportunities, it also poses challenges for workers, their families, and local communities. The benefits include the generation of essential resources, minimal direct impact on communities, and the provision of employment and flexible work options. However, the demanding rotational work schedules can disrupt family dynamics and create stress for both workers and their loved ones at home, leading to well-documented negative effects on residents’ well-being.
To address these challenges, Northern Development, in partnership with the Transform the Family Justice System Collaborative (TFSJ Collaborative), Northern Health, and the University of Northern BC’s (UNBC) Community Development Institute, launched the Camp Work Family Well-Being Initiative – Phase 1, funded by the Northern Healthy Communities Fund through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. The initiative aims to create an adaptable, educational, supportive, and preventive service model tailored for families with members working remotely in camp settings. The ultimate goal is to expand these services and tools across Northern B.C. over time, introducing new supports in communities that create more positive social and economic outcomes for camp work families, communities and employers.
Part of the $95,000 grant will fund two part-time positions: a project administrator and a project coordinator. Laura Murphy, the project administrator, brings extensive experience studying the impact of labor mobility on communities and has explored local government and business approaches in camp communities. “The ultimate goal is better support for camp workers and their families,” said Murphy. “And not just better support, but stable, ongoing support.”
Project coordinator Cyan LeMoal, a recent UNBC graduate, is excited to contribute to the initiative. “Community health and wellbeing are so important,” said LeMoal. “Achieving those goals is crucial for families involved in camp work.”
The project has four main objectives:
• Explore the negative impacts of camp work on families and identify the range of stresses and challenges they face.
• Identify areas where assistance is needed and determine how to offer this support in ways that work for camp families, guiding the development of service and tool prototypes.
• Examine how camp families interact with community structures to inform how communities can help design and offer services.
• Find ways to mitigate stress and its effects on children, youth, and families, while fostering integration between camp families and their communities.
Murphy and LeMoal will lead up to four focus groups in Dawson Creek and Terrace this fall. The insights and recommendations from these groups will shape the development of phases 2 and 3 of the project.
The Northern Healthy Communities Fund (NHCF) supports initiatives that assist healthy, sustainable and resilient communities facing rapid and large-scale economic development and associated need for enhanced social service readiness.
The Business Façade Improvement program intake deadline for eligible regions is changing for 2024. The NEW intake is October 1 to 31. This program will still be applied for through the FPOA.
This program provides annual grant funding for local governments to enhance economic development by encouraging private sector investment in businesses façade improvements.
The Northern Regional Municipality successfully applied for the Business Façade Improvement program in 2023. Local business Logo Tech was able to add a facade canopy over the business’ door and front window.
Local governments applying to the program are required to develop and submit their business façade improvement plan/guidelines, which will give direction to local business owners on the eligibility criteria to obtain the business façade improvement grant.
The Northern Community Shuttle program is accepting applications for service between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2027. The deadline to apply is October 18.
This program provides grant funding for passenger transportation services that help northerners access services and amenities, visit friends and family and connect to long-haul transportation options along major highway corridors.
Eligible Applicants:
*All applicants must be located within Northern Development’s service region.
-For profit transportation companies based in the Trust’s service area with a minimum of three years’ operating a similar service
-Registered First Nation governments, wholly owned Indigenous development corporations and tribal councils, Inuit and Metis organizations
-Local governments and wholly owned local government corporations
-Registered non-profits
-For profit transportation companies based in the Trust’s service area with a minimum of three years’ operating a similar service
Any proposed community shuttle service based out of a community within Northern Development’s service area may apply to the program, but priority will be given to applications that provide services for smaller, underserved communities located at a distance from hub communities or off major highway corridors that are not currently served by public transportation. Proposed shuttles must be open to the general public and not limited to one specific user group or purpose (i.e.. medical travel or for seniors).
The BC Peace Agriculture Fund supports the Peace region’s opportunity for agricultural production and agrifoods economic activity.
The new fully digital State of the North dashboard provides economic data for Northern B.C., all with just a few clicks.
Everyone agrees: Northern BC is one of the largest regions in the province and can be difficult to navigate. This Bus the North (BTN) webpage provides you with the different transportation options that connect our communities to the people and places that matter.
