Fort St. John, B.C.-  It’s open.  The University of Northern British Columbia’s Community Development Institute (CDI) has  opened a local office in Fort St. John.

The office is  the result of a partnership between  the City of Fort St. John and CDI to create and implement local strategies for economic diversification, community resiliency and social development. It is the first in-community office of the UNBC Community Development Institute.

The Office will be funded by the City of Fort St. John  at a cost of $350 thousand a year for four years.

CDI staff will be woking with local  businesses, industry, non‐profit and community organizations, First Nations, and all levels of government, to strengthen the community and transition the local economy to manage economic changes.

“Creating community is vital for so many aspects of our future” says  Ft.St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman, “Fort St John’s growth requires that we think outside the box. Our City’s partnership with the CDI will add their experience and expertise to ours and enable a new level of community achievement and creation.”

The Fort St. John CDI office will provide a number of services to the community, including:

• hosting educational events and workshops;
• facilitating community conversations and dialogues about local issues and opportunities;
• collaborating to develop and implement economic diversification efforts; and
• providing relevant research for decision making.  business planning, grant applications, reporting and community evaluation.

The CDI was established in 2004 with a broad mandate in community and economic development. They provide programs and services in four broad areas: community transformation and renewal, research, education, and dialogues and policy discussions.