The B.C. government has announced funding heading to Merritt and Princeton in the form of rural development grants to help them recover from devastating floods in the fall of 2021.
“We need to ensure that we’re supporting rural communities so that jobs and services are there for the people who rely on them during and after challenging times,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, in a press release issued Thursday.
“There’s no question that climate change has had a devastating impact on communities around the province, so we need to get funding to areas where it is most needed.”
The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development said that they have been working directly with the flooded communities.
“Our province is increasingly being affected by climate change, and when communities are trying to recover from these events, we want to make sure funding is in place for residents and businesses to support their recovery needs and the economic development opportunities they identify,” said MP Roly Russell, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development.
Funding will be going towards the Princeton Industrial Park Expansion and Marketing Recovery Strategy with a grant of $500,000 to support projects that will target economic recovery.
The City of Merritt will also be receiving $500,000 to complete a suite of economic development projects and initiatives to support long-term economic recovery.
The communities have a long road of recovery ahead fixing the damage incurred in November.
According to the City of Merritt, as of the end of February, approximately 909 residents are still out of their homes due to flood damages.
In Princeton, just a few of the 300 households affected by the floods have returned home. The town has been trying to secure a commitment for $2 million to pay for the their portion of $10 million in Disaster Financial Assistance from the Federal government's promised $5 billion to B.C. for flood relief, but there has not been movement on distributing those funds.
The province stated that the recovery funding announced Thursday is part of the government’s commitment to build resilient communities as outlined within the StrongerBC Economic Plan.
