Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris’s funding announcement was a good thing for the Cariboo Chilcotin.

No, Harris didn’t announce changes to Employment Insurance to help our mill workers.

He didn’t announce that pine beetle funds will continue to flow in the future (in fact, he said they will be on hold for a few years).

He didn’t announce federal funds to help pave Mackenzie Avenue.

And, alas, he didn’t tell us the Conservatives will cut the GST even further.

But he did deliver $800,040 to help local First Nations diversify their communities’ economies, attract tourism to their communities and to the region, and to support projects like the proposed biomass plant at Hanceville.

Too often, we hear people in Williams Lake complain that First Nations get “handouts” and “free money.” We’ve seen comments at wltribune.com complaining about $178,000 in funding announced last week for the Xat’súll Heritage Village.

And, one commenter quite rightly pointed out no one complained about the $1 million the Mt. Timothy Ski Area will receive in the same announcement.

The six projects Harris announced are not “free money” or “handouts.” They are practical ways to help First Nations communities. Anaham chief Joe Alphonse and Western Biomass Corp have been working on their biomass plant for years. A traditional village at Stone will help attract tourists, as well as the Grease Trail project. The Williams Lake Indian Band is looking to create an economic plan and look to add commercial opportunities on its territory.

These are projects that the First Nations worked on, developed, and submitted for funding. Harris congratulated them all for the work that went into them, and we do as well. And these are projects that will involve First Nations people and, one assumes, a lot of hard work to make them a reality.

The Community Economic Diversification Initiative and Western Economic Diversification are to be applauded for choosing these projects as part of the Mountain Pine Beetle program. That epidemic has been devastating to the entire central Interior, and mitigating funds are always welcome.

We wish the best of luck to those communities receiving funding. Our work will benefit the entire region.