1 million dollar funding for KLIC
The funding for the courthouse turned coworking & innovation centre uncovers both the past and present of worklife in the Kootenays. From Vancouver Tech Journal, Toronto Star and Nelson Daily
The Kootenay Lake Innovation Centre (KLIC) is excited to announce that the Province of BC is providing a grant of $979,173 for an infrastructure upgrade of our community building “The Kemball” supporting our creative coworking space and rural innovation programs. This generous grant will be managed by the Village of Kaslo to bring access, safety and efficiency up to modern standards.
New Democrat MLA Brittny Anderson says;
“People in rural communities are incredible creators and innovators when it comes to building and accessing services that people in urban centres take for granted,” said MLA Anderson. “This innovation centre is a great way for people to come together and collaborate, finding solutions to complex problems and leveraging their skills and experience to make Kaslo an even better place to live.”
The Kemball is one of the largest buildings in Kaslo with historial courtroom coworking, jail cell archives, big private offices and bank vaults turned into meeting rooms. It is home to the Kaslo infoNet Point of Presence, our local, non-profit, internet service, boasting a 10 gigabit fibre network. Our core pillars are:
- Coworking: Space for professionals, local youth, and visitors to work, play, meet, network and support each other in business and community development
- Engagement: In-person and online events that stimulate regenerative living
- Technology: Building a local datacentre & digital applications for community resilience
KLIC is partnered with;
- Coworking BC Society and all coworking spaces and innovation centres in the Kootenay region for operational and marketing support
- Canadian Accelerator and Incubator Network representing 100+ top innovation centres in Canada for programming and growth
- Selkirk College for delivery of technology programs and living lab
- 3 subgroups, each with their own leadership and volunteers including Tech Team, Resilience Group and Creative Collective with Langham Cultural Centre
- Kootenay Association of Science and Technology (KAST)
KAST Manager Melanie Fontaine says;
“KAST is thrilled to support the Kootenay Lake Innovation Centre, offering its members and community access to programs, events and shared resources.”
KLIC looks forward to working with all our partners and the Village of Kaslo to accelerate regional innovation and build community with emerging technology.
Big thank you to Randy Morse, Dan Nesbitt for writing the grant and BC Rural Centre for support.
KLIC is welcoming passionate professionals, companies and organizations to become members and partner with our technology cooperative and innovation centre. Please contact us! All details can be found here https://kootenays.org/updates/
Media Contact: klic@kootenays.org
Rural Development grants are provided by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. Other grant recipients in this round include the Kootenay-Boundary Regional District, Nakusp, Merritt, Princeton, and Powell River. The CERIP was created to respond to the needs of communities recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This recovery funding is part of the government’s commitment to build resilient communities as outlined within the StrongerBC Economic Plan. The plan moves British Columbia forward by tackling the challenges of today while growing an economy that works for everyone. This long-term plan builds on B.C.’s strong economic recovery.
