Fort St. James is officially open for business.
After being selected as one of the 15 finalists out of 39 communities which applied for the award, Fort St. James was awarded an Open for Business Award at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention.
Seven communities in the province won the award, which includes $10,000 in award money.
Mayor Rob MacDougall accepted the award on behalf of the community while at the convention and said it was a highlight of the convention for him. He said it was an honour to have received the recognition for all the initiatives the community has been doing to promote small business.
He did, however, credit his staff with having done the hard work to win the award.
“It’s easy for us when all the work is done for us,” he said to his staff during the last council meeting. “On behalf of council, the community and the region, thank you.”
Emily Colombo, economic development officer for the District, said she couldn’t express how happy she was they won, and was hoping to put the money towards hiring someone to again fill the position of downtown activities and marketing coordinator.