LIKELY RECEIVES $150,000 TO IMPROVE RECREATION SITES

VICTORIA – Through the Job Opportunities Program, Likely is receiving $151,500 to improve trail access and new recreation facilities on Yanks Peak, Browntop Mountain and other local areas, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell and Community Development Minister Blair Lekstrom announced today.

“The Job Opportunities Program is part of the Province’s comprehensive strategy to address the needs of communities being impacted by the current state of the forest industry,” said Lekstrom. “We expect this funding will help up to five workers and their families, and at the same time, build tourism and recreational assets in Likely.”

The town is receiving $151,500 for recreation site maintenance and trail management projects. Brush will be cleared on several trails in the area, including Yanks Peak, Browntop Mountain, Viewland Mountain and the Suey-to-Slate Bay trail. A low-mobility trail will be built at Quesnel Forks so people with disabilities can also enjoy this historic site. As well, up to 30 new outhouses and 45 new picnic tables will be built in forestry recreation sites in the eastern portion of the Central Cariboo forest district.

“We’ve taken the Community Development Trust funds and designed a three-pronged strategy to have the greatest and quickest impact at the community level,” said Bell. “It takes creative thinking and planning by a community to develop a proposal and I’m pleased that Likely put a plan together to access and leverage these resources.”

“Together with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, which looks after the recreation sites in the area, the Likely Xats’ull Community Forest developed a plan to improve some of the recreation opportunities in the area,” said Wayne Henke, director, Likely Xats’ull Community Forest. “Hopefully this will help to diversify our economy and employ a few of the people affected by the slowdown in the forest sector.”

The $26.25-million Job Opportunities Program is helping to reduce 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 cooperation with a forest-dependent community, are eligible to submit a project proposal to the Job Opportunities Program. So far, 110 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 programs for tuition assistance and transition assistance for older workers.

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:	Vivian Thomas Communications Manager Ministry of Forests and Range 250 213-2972	Leanne Ritchie Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Community Development 250 213-8075
	Wayne Henke Director Likely Xats’ull Community Forest Ltd. 250 790-2487
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