Prince George, BC – The Northern Development Initiatives Trust has launched a new program to attract business to the north and central part of B.C.

 

The $30 million Northern BC Business Advantage program includes a capital investment and training rebate program that provides businesses with incentives for job creation.

 

“Northern British Columbia has enormous competitive advantages for businesses, including lower overall business costs and a major transportation corridor that gets goods to market faster,” said Janine North, CEO of the Northern Development Initiative Trust. “The Northern BC Business Advantage program builds on the competitive strengths of the region by improving the bottom line of employers by up to $10,000 per new job created.”

 

The capital investment and training rebate program provides eligible businesses in export driven sectors of the economy with up to $10,000 per new job based on direct capital investment and training expenditures related to the expansion or establishment of a business. To qualify for funding, businesses must create at least two new full time jobs.

 

The training rebate offers the flexibility to cover any combination of training provider costs and/or on the job training costs for new employees.

 

Conifex Inc, the new owners of the sawmill in Fort St. James, will take advantage of the training rebates and say the program played an important role in its decision to buy the mill.

 

"This is an opportunity for employers to invest in a higher level of safety and production skills training that would otherwise not have been considered,” said Frank Everitt, President, United Steelworkers, Local 1‐424. “With input from the management team, the plant committee and the local union, we can attain and retain a very successful trained workforce in our competitive industry. Both workers and business will benefit from the Northern BC Business Advantage program.”