BC Rural Network E-news
BC Rural Network eNews
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=976440a299669ecb8a53e644f&id=e50c9ec094&e=cee218874f
February 2016
News and events
Thanks to those communities that submitted an application to host the next BC Rural Communities Summit! We are looking forward to an exciting 2016 event and will announce more details soon. Find out more about the summit and read up on past events here.
BC's Climate Leadership Plan Consultations - The second public consultation on BC's climate action plan is open now until March 25, 2016. To participate, read the Consultation Guide and provide thoughts on the most important actions we can take to lower our greenhouse gas emissions. Find the guide and more information here.
Work BC Find Your Fit Tour - An interactive event where students (grades 6-10) will jump right in and try the skills they'll need for different careers in demand across the province. This hands-on program will help students apply real life experiences to their career planning. Find out if the tour is coming to your town (or request that it does!) here.
Register now for the 2016 Rural Health Services Research Conference to be held April 25-26 in Kamloops, BC. This year's theme is "Developing Intercultural Connections and Practical Solutions for Improving Health." Find all the information here.
Grant Opportunities
B.C. Community Gaming Grants Program – Arts and Culture Organizations and Sport Organizations - Intake February 1, 2016 to May 31, 2016 - To apply, visit the Community Gaming Grants website here.
Co-op Community Spaces Fund - Deadline February 12, 2016 - Grant funding available to improve community spaces such as parks, playgrounds, and community gardens. To apply, visit the Co-op website.
TD Friends of the Environment Foundation - Deadlines February 15 and July 15, 2016 - Funding is available for a wide range of environmental initiatives, with a primary focus on environmental education, urban greening and enhancing biodiversity, and energy conservation. Registered charities, local governments, Aboriginal groups, and schools are eligible to apply. Find more information here.
RBC Blue Water Project, Community Action Grant - Deadline February 18, 2016 - These grants range from $1000 to $10,000, and are awarded to local or community-based organizations in Canada, the U.S. or the Caribbean. Find more information here.
Canada Summer Jobs - Deadline February 20, 2016 - Grant funding available to non-profit organizations and small businesses to create summer job opportunities for young people aged 15 to 30 years who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year. To apply, visit the Service Canada website here.
Healthy Communities Capacity Building Grants: Round 3 - Deadline February 29, 2016 - This is a call for expressions of interest from local governments in BC who are leading the way in creating the conditions that enable healthy people and healthy places – in partnership with regional health authorities and other key community stakeholders. There are two streams of support available, "Seeding Healthy Small, Rural and Remote Communities," and "Growing Impact: BC's Next Level of Healthy Communities Leadership." Find out more here.
BC Rehab Foundation Project Grants - Deadline March 2, 2016 - Funding is available to support initiatives and capital projects designed to benefit people with disabilities. To apply, visit the BC Rehab website here.
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) Community Contributions - Deadline March 10, 2016 - Grant funding available for outdoor infrastructure projects that inspire and enable people to be active outdoors, environmental initiatives, and more. To apply, visit the MEC website.
Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC - Applications accepted on an on-going basis. Program ends March 31, 2018 - The Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program has been renewed under the the federal-provincial Growing Forward 2 Agreement. Funding is available to support industry, academia, retailers and others in late stage research and pilot projects that lead to the commercialization and/or adoption of innovative products, technologies and practices. For more information click here.
BC Equestrian Trails Fund - Deadline April 15, 2016 - Grant funding available for new trail construction, trail rehabilitation, signage, horse camp facilities, and more. For more information, visit the Horse Council of B.C. website here.
The Northern Development Initiative Trust has announced the launch of its Fabulous Festivals and Events program, which provides non-profit organizations with up to $2,500 in annual grant funding to support unique events and festivals throughout the region that contribute to service sector revenues in the local economy. For more information on the Fabulous Festivals and Events program, visit www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca. Funding applications for this program are accepted on continuous intake cycle. Applications for festivals or events occurring in the 2016 calendar year can be submitted starting November 1, 2015.
Air Canada has a proud history of supporting organizations that focus on improving the lives of Canadians. Their support of community organizations has made Air Canada an active participant in those efforts and in their successes. For more information, about the funding opportunities available click here.
Environment of Canada Science Horizons Youth Internship Program - ongoing intake - Environment Canada's Science Horizons program is a collaborative effort with Canadian universities, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and other eligible organizations that offers promising young scientists and post-secondary graduates hands-on experience working on environmental projects under the mentorship and coaching of experiences scientists and program managers. Maximum of $12,00 per year is available for eligible applicants. Find out more here.
Get Youth Working! Program - ongoing intake (as long as funding is available) - This program, funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada-British Columbia Job Fund, offers employers in your region of BC a $2,800 hiring incentive to hire eligible youth 15 to 29 years of age. Additionally, employers may request up to $1,000 to purchase training for the newly hired youth. Find out more here.
Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program Community Engagement Grant - ongoing intake - The goal of the Community Engagement Grant is to provide an opportunity for FWCP stakeholders (e.g. environmental groups, rod and gun clubs, non-profits, stewardship organizations, government, and First Nations), to apply for small amounts of funding to support their conservation and enhancement work. Click here for more information.
YMCA's Youth Job Match Program - ongoing intake - The Job Match Program provides youth with skills training and work experience in various high-demand occupations, while supporting companies with a wage subsidy of $9.25/hour for the first 12 weeks of full time employment. This province-wide program assists young, motivated individuals gain experience, build skills, develop confidence, and through the support and guidance of YMCA program staff, overcome barriers to employment. Participants work with program staff to secure paid, full-time employment within high-demand occupations for a minimum period of 12 weeks. Find out more here.
Healthy Eating School Food Grant - ongoing intake - The Action Schools! BC Healthy Eating School Food Grant will assist your elementary or middle school in implementing lessons and activities from the Healthy Eating Action Resource. Find more information here.
The BC Rural Network has proudly served BC's rural communities since 2004. Interested in learning more about the network? Visit the BCRN website here.
If you have any news or events you would like added to the BCRN eNews, please email us at enews@bcruralnetwork.ca
LAB TO EXPAND INNOVATION IN OUR REGION
At the MIDAS lab, engineering and business students from the University of British Columbia Okanagan learn and improve the art of crystal pulling with Don Freschi, Chief Executive Officer of Fenix Advanced Materials.
Columbia Basin Trust commits up to $850,000 to MIDAS initiative
TMTV.NET (Columbia Basin) – Local entrepreneurs, students, academics and makers will be able to work with innovative materials, test out original products and get help bringing unique ideas and products to market at a new laboratory in Trail.
Known as MIDAS, the laboratory will help create new business opportunities, expand the skill sets of people who live here and increase regional competitiveness. It is being financed in part by up to $850,000 over four years from Columbia Basin Trust.
MIDAS stands for Metallurgical Industrial Development Acceleration and Studies, and is being spearheaded by the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST). There are two main parts to the laboratory.
The first is a fab lab, or “digital fabrication laboratory,” intended for rapid prototyping and training in additive manufacturing, which is a method of building 3-D objects by adding layer upon layer of material, such as plastic, metal or concrete. Users will be able to quickly create a model of an item—for example, a mechanical part or a snowboard—using 3-D computer-aided design and a 3-D printer. There will also be areas focused on electronics, laser cutting, molding, casting, metalwork and woodwork.
Companies and researchers can also explore commercial uses for metallurgical and chemical materials at MIDAS. KAST and partners will provide research-and-development and business-development services via the research organization Mitacs and the BC Venture Acceleration Program; if a new product developed in the lab has commercial potential, these services can help it reach the market successfully.
“In our region, with our metals expertise, MIDAS will enable us to use materials in new and novel ways that will provide us with a competitive advantage,” said Amber Hayes, MIDAS Project Director. “It will also provide businesses with the opportunity to get prototypes made locally—they have to be made elsewhere now. And it will allow us to train local people on how to use this equipment, which will be a high-demand skill as new technologies change the way manufacturing is being done.”
“This collaborative project will bring all sorts of people together—business people, students and researchers—to increase expertise and innovation in our region,” said Johnny Strilaeff, Columbia Basin Trust Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. “We have so much local talent and so many resources, and with MIDAS we’ll also have the physical space and equipment. The potential for meaningful economic impact is exciting.”
The MIDAS lab is currently under construction, with specialized equipment training opportunities available. MIDAS will welcome the public in September 2016. To follow the development of the lab and learn more about the technologies, like the MIDAS Facebook page at facebook.com/midasfablab.
In addition to KAST and the Trust, MIDAS is supported by Community Futures of Greater Trail, Fenix Advanced Materials, Western Economic Diversification, Selkirk College and the Rural Development Institute, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Mitacs, BC Innovation Council, Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust, Lower Columbia Community Development Team Society and the Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation.
Columbia Basin Trust supports the ideas and efforts of the people in the Columbia Basin. To learn more about the Trust’s programs and initiatives, and how it helps deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the Basin, visit cbt.org or call 1.800.505.8998.
The Kootenay Association for Science & Technology (KAST) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the continued growth of science and technology as key economic drivers in the West Kootenay-Boundary region of BC. KAST works with business and communities to support and showcase the opportunity provided by science, technology, entrepreneurship and innovation in our region. Visit kast.com.
Community Initiatives and Affected Areas Programs
The Community Initiatives and Affected Areas Programs (CIP/AAP), the Trust's longest running programs, support projects identified as priorities within individual communities.
The CIP/AAP are funding programs designed to help address the needs of Basin communities. The programs are flexible and able to accommodate individual processes and they incorporate community-based funding decisions to better meet local priorities.
As of April 2016, the programs will be increasing community support by 15 per cent, from $3.6 million to over $4.2 million annually for the next five years.
The Trust allocates funds to local government and First Nation partners who in turn decide how they allocate the funds to communities in their regions. Applications for funding through these programs are made directly to the local government delivery partner in your area.
All areas receive Community Initiatives funding, while the communities and areas around the Arrow, Kinbasket, Duncan and Koocanusa reservoirs which were most affected by the construction of the Treaty dams, also receive Affected Areas funding.
Local Government Annual Funding
◾City of Revelstoke: $404,269
◾Ktunaxa Nation Council (four bands): $144,900
◾Regional District of Central Kootenay: $1,486,213
◾Regional District of East Kootenay: $1,197,531
◾Regional District of Kootenay Boundary: $354,973
◾Town of Golden: $325,562
◾Village of Valemount: $261,950
◾Shuswap Band: $36,225
Who Can Apply:
See each local government Application Guidelines for specific eligibility requirements.
How To Apply:
Apply directly to your local government. See contact information below.
Deadline For Applications: Deadlines vary. Visit delivery partner websites for details.
For Slocan Valley residents, CONTACT:
Regional District of Central Kootenay
Judy Madelung, Grants Coordinator
Box 590, 202 Lakeside Drive, Nelson
1.250.352.8170
jmadelung@rdck.bc.ca
Application deadline: Monday, February 29, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. PT
More information can be found here...
http://www.rdck.ca/EN/main/administration/grants/columbia-basin-trust-cip-aap.html
Small Business Training Schedule (Jan – Mar)
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Slocan Valley Economic Development Commission allocates $251,000 to local priorities
NELSON—The RDCK’s Slocan Valley Economic Development Commission has chosen four Slocan Valley organizations to receive a combined $251,000 over two years from the Slocan Valley Community Directed Fund. The fund is a partnership between the RDCK and Columbia Basin Trust, who provided the money.
“We believe that funding these organizations will result in long term and widespread benefits to the Slocan Valley community,” said Leah Main, Chair of the Slocan Valley Economic Development Commission (EDC).
“The Commission engaged with the community extensively to determine how valley residents wanted this funding used for their economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being.”
The commission allocated $40,000 to the Seniors’ Housing Society project which plans to build long term housing for elders in Slocan City. The Society’s committee will share its knowledge and designs with other groups that may wish to develop similar housing projects in other parts of the valley.
The W.E. Graham Community Service Society will receive $46,000 to purchase a youth/community bus. The bus will fill a need for specialized transportation in the valley for day trips, evening events and other activities that occur outside of the times and locales served by regional transit. This transportation option will enable youth and other community members to more fully participate in wide ranging events without
having to own their own vehicles.
The remaining funds are directed at two food security/food hub projects; both the West Kootenay Permaculture Coop Association in the south valley and the Healthy Community Society of the north valley foster and advance food production, storage and distribution as well as access to locally/regionally grown foods in our communities. These two organizations have agreed to collaborate on their projects.
“The Slocan Valley EDC believes that by supporting the growth of a local food economy, we will strengthen the overall economy of our valley,” explained Main.
For further information, please contact:
Leah Main, Chair, Slocan Valley Economic Development Commission: 250.551.6173 lmain@rdck.bc.ca