Newsletter from MLA Morissette
By MLA Steve Morissette
This week I rose to recognize and highlight an organization that quietly, consistently and effectively strengthens the backbone of our province, rural British Columbia: I am speaking about Community Futures British Columbia. Across our province, from coastal communities to the Interior, from the North to the Kootenays, Community Futures offices are embedded directly in the communities they serve.
There are 34 of these offices across British Columbia, each one locally run, each one deeply connected to the people and businesses in their region. And that local connection matters because in rural British Columbia, economic development is not theoretical; it is personal. It is about whether a family can open a business on main street. It is about whether a young person can stay in their community and build a career. It is about whether a town can adapt when a major employer changes or a resource sector fluctuates.
Community Futures exists to meet those challenges head-on. They are often the only organization in a rural community whose sole focus is small business development and local economic growth. They’re the ones sitting across the table from entrepreneurs with an idea, helping turn that idea into a business plan and that business plan into reality. They provide practical, hands-on support, helping with business planning, market research, mentorship, and training.
For someone starting out, that guidance can be the difference between success
helping turn that idea into a business plan and that business plan into reality. They provide practical hands-on support, help with business planning, market research, mentorship and training. For someone starting out, that guidance can be the difference between success and failure.
Just as importantly, they provide access to capital. In many rural communities, traditional financing can be difficult to obtain. Community Futures steps into that gap. They offer flexible lending, focused not just on collateral but on people, on potential and on the strength of an idea. That means more businesses get off the ground, more businesses grow and more jobs are created locally.
That is real economic impact. It means more storefronts open on our main streets. It means more services available close to home. It means stronger, more resilient local economies that are less dependent on a single industry and better able to weather change. And when challenges do arise, as they inevitably do, Community Futures is there as a steady, reliable partner. Whether it is economic downturns, natural disasters or shifts in global markets, they help businesses adapt, recover and move forward.
The leadership behind Community Futures is awesome. Each Community Futures office is guided by a local board of directors. These are volunteers. They are business leaders, community members and individuals who care deeply about the future of their region. They understand the unique opportunities and challenges of their area in a way that no centralized system ever could, and because of that, the decisions they make are grounded in local knowledge, local priorities and local values.
Today I want to express my sincere appreciation, not only for the staff who work tirelessly to support entrepreneurs but especially for those volunteer board members across British Columbia. Your contributions matter, your leadership matters, and the impact you are making in your communities is significant.
When we talk about building a strong economy in British Columbia, we must remember that strength does not come only from our largest cities. It comes from every small town, every rural community and every entrepreneur willing to take a risk and build something new. Organizations like Community Futures British Columbia ensure those entrepreneurs are not alone. They are helping create jobs, they are supporting innovation, they are strengthening communities, and ultimately they are helping ensure that rural British Columbia not only survives but thrives.
Supporting survivors of gender-based violence
Gender-diverse people, women and their children who are leaving violence will find support through a $4.6-million partnership between the federal and provincial governments. Home is more than four walls and a roof – it is a place of safety, a place of healing and a place where dignity is restored. With these funds, people fleeing violence will benefit from the enhanced housing supports and training provided to non-profit providers who work with survivors every day.
Expanding supports for tradespeople living with chronic pain
People in trades who are living with chronic pain will have better access to supports, as the Province, with Pain BC, launches a new service to help with pain management. Chronic pain can have a huge impact on a person’s life and too many choose to suffer in silence or avoid reaching out for help. With the Guide Line, it takes just a text message for a tradesperson to connect to support to help them work through chronic pain. It’s about helping people connect to care quickly as we continue to build out a co-ordinated system of mental-health and substance-use care.
Protecting jobs for British Columbians while meeting immediate labour needs
The Province is addressing immediate labour needs by supporting rural employers to keep temporary foreign workers, providing short-term stability as they explore domestic recruitment, training and more permanent workforce solutions. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program policy changes are intended as a short-term response to immediate labour pressures. B.C. is calling on the federal immigration minister to focus on long-term workforce solutions, not stopgaps, that reflect provincial needs and help communities, especially in rural and remote areas, recruit and retain skilled workers for the long term.
Science Meets Parliament took place this week in the British Columbia Legislature with 30 visiting researchers. This initiative brings scientists and parliamentarians together in a shared spirit of learning, collaboration and evidence-based decision-making. It is an opportunity for us, as elected representatives, to deepen our understanding of the complex challenges facing our province and to hear directly from those working on the front lines of discovery and innovation.
Disrupting the illicit drug trade with first-in-Canada technology
The Province is funding a pilot project that will enable police and scientists to use new digital technology and lab robotics to analyze and track the flow of toxic drugs and create earlier warning systems to alert people of increased danger of illicit drugs in their area. The illicit drug supply is changing faster than our warning systems. Thankfully, Track and Trace is an innovative technology that will allow early detection of emerging drug threats, provide clear insights into supply changes and risks, and improve co-ordination across jurisdictions in B.C.
Look west: more major projects are moving ahead across BC.
From wind and solar to LNG and critical minerals, projects across the province are creating jobs, strengthening communities, and supporting a cleaner, more resilient economy. And every major project moving forward today has First Nations partnership, support or investment.
Together, these projects are shaping BC’s future as Canada’s economic engine.
See what’s underway gov.bc.ca/MajorProjects
Call for Expressions of Interest – Legacy Fund Grants Now Open!
The Trail-Rossland 2026 BC Winter Games Legacy Fund is now accepting Expressions of Interest from youth-focused organizations in Trail, Rossland, Castlegar, Warfield, and Beaver Valley can apply for grants of up to $10,000 to support projects benefiting local youth. Grants of up to $10,000 are available (average ~$2,500) for projects that make a lasting community impact.
Priority will be given to programs that support:
Sport participation
Coaching, officiating & mentoring
Retention of girls in sport
Inclusion of under-represented groups
Youth & community service initiatives
Arts & culture
Submit your Expression of Interest by June 15, 2026
Visit Call for Expressions of Interest: Trail-Rossland 2026 BC Winter Games Legacy Fund – BC Games to learn more and apply
Stay informed and safe this season:
Visit PreparedBC.ca/SevereWeather for tips and resources
Check road conditions before heading out at https://www.drivebc.ca/
For weather alerts, visit https://weather.gc.ca/
For emergency updates, visit https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/
If you have any questions or concerns about a provincial issue or need assistance with a provincial body, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help. My office can be reached online at Steve.Morissette.MLA@leg.bc.ca or at (250) 304-2783.
Helpful resources:
- Visit the BC Benefits Connector at gov.bc.ca/BCBenefitsConnector to find benefits and savings for things like energy bills, transportation, education and training, and health care.
- Find mental health and substance-use supports: Helpstartshere.gov.bc.ca
