The Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (Pacifican) is giving the District of Kitimat $499,000 to support public spaces and tourism, Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of Economic Development announced Dec. 13.
“We’re very excited that Minette Bay West was selected as one of the grant recipients,” said Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth. “It emphasizes the importance of this new park to Kitimat as our first public access to the Douglas Channel, letting us gather with friends and family along our waterfront. As further work takes place in the coming year, we know it will become a favourite for residents and for visitors to our community.”
The District will be using the funding to create a public day-use area in Minette Bay Park. Project activities will include landscaping, constructing a waterfront deck, floating dock and play area, and installing fire pits and park furniture.
The money is coming from the Canada Community Revitalization Fund.
The Fund was created in the summer of 2021 to help communities build and improve infrastructure to make spaces safer, greener and more accessible.
“As we move past the acute phase of the pandemic, Canada’s tourism sector is showing strong signs of growth,” Randy Boissonnault, minister of tourism and associate minister of finance stated.
Investments over the past two years were made to help the visitor economy survive but moving forward the target will be on revival and growth of the industry, he added.
“Investing in shared public spaces and tourism experiences will bring communities together and ensure that northern B.C. thrives well into the future,” Sajjan stated.
Earlier this year, on Nov. 17, Pacifican opened three new offices in northern B.C. including Prince Rupert, Prince George and Fort St. John.
-With files from Thom Barker
Kaitlyn Bailey | Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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