Helping businesses adapt, grow, create jobs through new grants

Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-08-28 18:15:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, National, Economy, Labour, Industry, Indigenous]

The Governments of Canada and British Columbia have launched a $2.7 million funding initiative under Phase 2 of the Rural and Remote Employment Initiatives Fund to support northern B.C. businesses and First Nations development corporations responding to global tariffs. Administered by the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), the funding is split into two programs opening for applications on September 2, 2026: the Business Diversification and Sustainability (BDS) program, which provides grants of up to $200,000 covering up to 75% of project costs for small and medium-sized businesses totaling $1.8 million, and the First Nations Business Development Capacity Building program, which provides up to $75,000 per applicant covering up to 90% of eligible costs totaling $900,000. The investment is supported by federal funding through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement as part of a broader $5-million provincial response to tariffs.