FOREST SAFETY & RECREATION AT 100 MILE HOUSE IMPROVING

100 MILE HOUSE – More than $570,000 from the Community Development Trust’s Job Opportunities Program will help mitigate the risks of forest fires around 100 Mile House and support a network of trails and roads near East Drewry and Canim Lakes, Community Development Minister Blair Lekstrom and Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.

“The Community Development Trust is one of our key tools to help forest workers and communities during this difficult time,” said Lekstrom. “We are pleased to be able to assist workers, while at the same time improving fire safety on a regional level.”

The trust is providing $548,000 for a fuel management project that will employ up to 16 people to reduce the wildfire hazard and improve forest health near Horse Lake and to the southwest of 100 Mile House. The 200-hectare project includes pruning, harvesting, spacing and chipping materials and creating a barrier between crown land and private homes.

“The Community Development Trust is helping put forestry workers in 100 Mile House back to work and making the surrounding area a safer place,” said Bell. “Reducing the risk of forest fires requires year-round preparation and action, and this project is making that happen in 100 Mile House.”

An additional $24,000 is being used on trail restoration and maintenance projects in the East Drewry Lake area and a forest service road just south of Canim Lake. The trail restoration and maintenance, which will be led by the Interlakes Snowmobile Club, will cover 450 kilometres to complete a circle encompassing six different towns and districts. Work will be underway soon and is expected to provide short-term employment for three unemployed forest workers.

“The Interlakes Snowmobile Club is very appreciative of the investment and glad to be working with the ministry to create work and economic development for the district,” said Hank Hackett, Interlakes Snowmobile Club. “The district serves the outdoor recreational needs of a broad range of organizations and stakeholders and we all have a shared vision of creating a world class trail network and at the same time, helping out of work forest workers stay gainfully employed.”

The objectives of the program are directed at reducing the impact of current layoffs on workers employed in the forest industry, retaining skilled forest workers for the anticipated future upturn, and preserving the characteristics of the labour force in forest-dependent communities.

A forest-dependent community or organization and forest licensees or forest contractors working in co-operation with a forest-dependent community, are eligible to submit a project proposal to the Job Opportunities Program. So far, 103 submissions have been received and 51 projects totalling over $8 million from across the province have been approved.

The Job Opportunities Program is one component of the Community Development Trust, which was announced in May. B.C.’s share of the federal trust is $129 million over three years, with funds also directed to a Tuition Assistance program and Transition Assistance for Older Workers Program.

For more information about the Community Development Trust and Job Opportunities Program, go to: http://www.cd.gov.bc.ca/cdt/

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Media contact:	Leanne Ritchie Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Community Development 250 387-4089	Robert Boelens Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 953-3142
	Hank Hackett Interlakes Snowmobile Club 250 593-4490
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