Mr. Speaker, the community economic development initiative is investing more than $33 million to strengthen and diversify the economies of B.C.'s forestry dependent communities. It will enable communities such as Kamloops not only to survive but thrive in the global economy over the long term.
That community economic development initiative is of course part of the federal $200 million mountain pine beetle program that our government launched in 2007. Already that program is doing much to help control the spread of the pine beetle, recover as much economic value as possible for the timber destroyed by the beetle, and protect forests and communities from the risk of wild fire.
It is just one example of how we are standing up for resource based communities. We are doing our part to help out communities like Kamloops.