Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
At its last regular council meeting on Dec. 9, Peace River town council received an update for the 2024 Business Grant Program recipients.
“The Town was pleased to receive applications for the intake periods for the Business Grant which is part of the council’s Economic Development Committee’s mandate,” explains Mayor Elaine Manzer.
“Council does not have unlimited funds to support these programs but felt that $50,000 was an allocation that would be useful to business.”
Six eligible grant applications were received and approved, with $23,950.08 allocated in the first intake, $9,173.29 in the second intake, and no eligible applications were received in the third intake.
“Many of the successful business applied to paint and otherwise beautify the outside of their buildings,” explains Manzer for the intended use of the grant applications.
“As part of their application, some found that they needed to update their building permits, some needed more time to fulfill their grant conditions. Businesses have six months to complete their grant with an option to be approved for another six months.”
Manzer notes that a few businesses chose to take an extension to complete the project due to the reasoning she mentioned.
Successful applicants included: Peace River Adventures, Peace Pipe Cannabis Co., Peace Sign and Graphics, Holtby Holdings, RT Grading, and Peace Valley Dental.
In all, $10,000 of the 2024 grant funds have been disbursed following the submission of the grant report. The remaining grant recipients have asked for and have been granted an extension into 2025.
“About $31,000 has been allocated out of the $50,000 2024 budget, so those funds will be spent on the successful grant applications,” Manzer says.
“The remaining $19,000 will go back to general operations and the grant will start with a fresh $50,000 in 2025.”
Manzer says the work being done by the businesses with the help of the grant adds to the community’s beautification efforts.
“The new paint on many of the grant recipient’s buildings has added to the appeal of the downtown area’s beauty and – hopefully – has helped businesses with their operations and bottom lines in the upkeep of their premises,” Manzer concludes.