Northern Development Initiative Trust

On August 19, Elders, families, community members, project partners and friends gathered in Houston to celebrate a community vision years in the making. 🎉

Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Society officially opened its new Houston Friendship Centre and Cub House Indigenous Childcare Centre with a day of ceremony, tours and celebration.

Northern Development contributed $500,000 toward the new Friendship Centre through the Northern Healthy Communities Fund.

Read more about the project in our September newsletter! 👇
https://www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca/newsletter/september-2026/

Photo Credit: Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Society

Two days, a little friendly competition and a whole lot of fun around Prince George! 🎳🎨🪓

Our team stepped away from the usual routine for our annual staff retreat, which took us all over town for pottery painting, axe throwing, bowling, mini golf, great food and an unforgettable Amazing Race.

A huge thank you to Three Mad Potters ,The Black Clover , Gameversepg , Jacks Coffee Co. , College of New Caledonia , Caledonia Nordic , Alpine Pub & Grill , Strike Zone and more for welcoming our crew and helping make the retreat such a fun couple of days!

Meet Musfiq Tajwar, one of our Partner Programs Coordinators! 👋

Originally from Bangladesh, Musfiq came to Northern B.C. to pursue his master’s degree at UNBC and has since found plenty of reasons to call the region home.

From supporting forestry companies and communities through his work at the Trust to volunteering, researching and exploring the outdoors in his spare time, learning and community are common threads in just about everything he does.

Get to know Musfiq, what brought him to Northern Development and what keeps him busy outside of work in our September newsletter. 👇
https://www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca/newsletter/september-2026/ -the-team-musfiq-tajwar

Summer may be winding down, but things certainly haven’t slowed down across the North.

Our team has been on the road, connecting with communities, visiting projects and seeing first-hand the work happening across the region. From Prince Rupert to the Peace and plenty of stops in between, our September newsletter shares a few of the people, places and projects we connected with along the way.

See what’s featured:
📣 A provincial announcement in Prince Rupert
🌾 A first-hand look at agriculture projects in the Peace
🏠 A community vision opens its doors in Houston
🚗 2026 internship visits cover the North
👥 Meet the team: Musfiq Tajwar
📅 Upcoming key dates

Explore the September newsletter:
https://www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca/newsletter/september-2026/

📍Northern business perspectives were at the table this week.

We welcomed the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for PacifiCan, and Naina Sloan, PacifiCan president, to our Prince George office for a roundtable with business representatives from across Northern B.C.

From forestry and mining to transportation, manufacturing, construction, First Nation development corporations and more, participants shared how tariffs and the current economic climate are affecting their industries, businesses and communities.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for an open and valuable conversation about the challenges facing the region and the opportunities ahead.

Help shape the future of agriculture in the Peace Region 🌾

The BC Peace Agriculture Fund is looking for two agricultural producers to bring their experience and perspective to its Board of Directors.

Two positions are available: a Member-at-large and a Member-at-large representing the Peace River Valley.
Members serve a three-year term, with the possibility of extension to six years, and attend approximately three to five meetings each year, typically in Fort St. John.
If you’re an agricultural producer in the BC Peace region and are interested in getting involved, we’d like to hear from you!

Learn more about the positions and how to apply through the link in our bio!

📅 Apply by September 25, 2026
📧 [email protected]

⛳ There’s more to a healthy golf course than what you see on the fairway.

At Charlie Lake, a major irrigation upgrade is bringing more precise water use to Lake Point Golf and Country Club, replacing infrastructure that had been in service for more than 30 years.
With $228,139 in funding through our Recreation Infrastructure program, the project is helping set the course up for greener fairways and more efficient operations for years to come.

🔗 Read the full story in our August newsletter.
www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca/newsletter/august-2026/ -lake-tees-up-for-greener-fairways

A little out-of-office time for Northern Development! ☀️

Our office will be closed Monday, Aug 31 and Tuesday, Sept 1 as we trade our desks and inboxes for some time together as a team.

We’ll be back to regular office hours on September 2, refreshed and ready to get back to it. Thanks for your understanding!

For any inquiries, please email us at [email protected]

Planning a capital investment to help your business adapt or diversify?

The newest rural and remote employment initiatives program, Business Diversification & Sustainability, provides up to $200,000 to help eligible Northern B.C. businesses respond to tariff impacts through investments that support diversification, new markets, new products or services and improved productivity.

📅 Applications are open from Sept 2 - Oct 15, 2026

👉 Learn about the programs eligibility, plus application tips and tricks by attending a virtual open house hosted by Northern Development on Tues Sept 8 or Wed Sept 16 @ 1pm
Register here!
www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca/business-diversification-sustainability/