Merritt ends participation in BC PNP

In February of 2019, the City of Merritt applied to be part of the BC Provincial Nominee Pilot Program.

“The program is an immigration program focused on attracting entrepreneurs from around the world to establish businesses in rural communities within British Columbia. As part of that program, the City was required to select business categories under which applicants could apply,” said CAO Sean Smith.

Through the program, Merritt received over 300 inquires, resulting in 20 exploratory visits, and 14 letters of referral being given to potential entrepreneurs.

“To date, 2 applications have been approved by the Province. Any of the applications already in the pipeline will not be effected by ending the program,” stated Smith.

“There are definite benefits to participation in the BC PNP program, though staff are concerned that the time investment required to service this program is extremely high, and that the benefits are lesser than the time and opportunity cost of participation,” added Smith.

Recently Community Futures Nicola Valley had expressed interest in running the program locally, but have decided to also take a step back.

Council voted 7-0 to cease participation in the BC PNP.