"Journey to Iconic Fernie" Awarded Provincial Grant Funding
March 30, 2021
The City of Fernie has been awarded up to $790,563 in grants from the Province of BC’s Tourism Dependent Community Fund in support of the “Journey to Iconic Fernie” project.
The project, developed in collaboration with Tourism Fernie, the Community Energy Association, and the Chamber of Commerce, with additional support from the Fernie Trails Alliance, will help enhance staging and visitor experience at the Visitor Information Centre and downtown, and includes future-proofed electric vehicle charging infrastructure at both locations.
This funding will allow the City to install four new Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations at the Visitor Information Centre (VIC), along with another five at City Hall, as well as enhancing staging facilities to support a potential bike-share between the locations. The grant will further support improvements to the Fairy Creek trail and trailhead, parking, and interpretive enhancements at the VIC.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to provide these amenities to the community and to visitors, and we want to thank Tourism Fernie, the Community Energy Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Fernie Trails Alliance for helping develop the scope of the project and prepare the application,” says CAO Michael Boronowski.
“The tourism sector has been devastated by Covid-19, and accessing grants that support us with infrastructure challenges are critical to Fernie’s success. The Tourism Dependent Community Fund is just one of four grants that Council directed staff to pursue so that we can support economic development and build capacity and resiliency in our tourism sector,” adds Mayor Ange Qualizza.
The project is set to begin in early summer, 2021.
