Federal government provides over $1.6M to spur economic activity in Kamloops, B.C.

Kamloops-based organizations receive over $1.6 million to boost community-focused innovation (CNW Group/Pacific Economic Development Canada)

KAMLOOPS — On Aug. 1, Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan), announced over $1.6 million in PacifiCan funding for three Kamloops-based businesses and organizations, including:

• $978,175 for Axis Forestry Inc. to commercialize its hydraulic tree processor and software system and optimize its manufacturing facility; and,
• $650,650 for the Kamloops Food Policy Council and Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) of Central Interior First Nations (CIFN) to strengthen the local food supply chain in the Central Interior, including expanding the reach of the Kweseltken Kitchen – a mobile food processing trailer serving Indigenous farmers and remote communities.

The projects announced today build on Kamloops’s growing reputation as home to community-minded innovators. They will also support Indigenous communities and promote economic development in the Central Interior region.

This funding comes from PacifiCan’s Business Scale-up and Productivity program and Jobs and Growth Fund.

“Exciting things are happening in Kamloops. Innovators and entrepreneurs in various industries are creating lasting prosperity for their community. PacifiCan support will help three dedicated organizations turn their ideas into reality and create good jobs in B.C.’s Central Interior, a region becoming known as a hub for innovation,” said Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada.