The Fort St. John Chamber of Commerce has received a share of federal funding to encourage Canadians to shop local and help businesses in their recovery from the pandemic.
The Chamber said Wednesday it received $40,100 through the Shop Local initiative being administered by the BC Chamber of Commerce. The funds will be used to create and distribute a coupon book for local and regional businesses, as well develop a ‘Shop Local Education Module’ in collaboration with School District 60.
According to a release, the module will be an age-appropriate lesson for students in Grade 5 to 8 to learn about local investment and the economic impacts for businesses, and for sport and youth programs through sponsorship investments.
“Rarely does advocacy actually touch the hands of those that will shape the future of local businesses,” said incoming Chamber president Justin McKinnon. “Educating youth on the economic impacts of shopping locally and how it positively effects communities is the key to the program - by teaching through action and it’s brilliant!”
Said Schools Superintendent Stephen Petrucci, "School District 60 is very grateful for the ongoing support we have received from the community. We look forward to collaborating with the Chamber of Commerce to promote and educate when it comes to the benefits of shopping local."
According to the BC Chamber, the federal government provided $33 million to provincial and territorial chambers of commerce for the Shop Local initiative, including $5 million for British Columbia.
“We felt it was important to provide an opportunity for businesses to participate and engage with the community," said Cheryl Montgomery, executive director for the Fort St. John Chamber. "And we also felt strongly that we wanted to think long term about how to educate and influence youth about the importance of shopping local as they become the consumers.”
New board of directors
The Chamber has also announced a new board of directors for 2021-22.
New directors include Evan Jeanotte, Mitchel Chilcot, Cameron Eggie, and Dallas Peever.
Returning directors include Justin McKinnon, Chuck Fowler, Carina Wallis, Jennifer Snider, Brad Lussier, Jared Braun, Adam Reaburn, and Peta Best.
Departing directors included Past President Julie Ziebart, Julie Roach Burns, Brenna Burns, Judy Desjarlais, and Justin Jones, who resigned earlier this year due to relocation to Alberta.
Email Managing Editor Matt Preprost at editor@ahnfsj.ca
