October 22, 2004 for immediate release


Hudson's Hope, Taylor and Fort St. John, along with Areas B and C ofthe Peace River Regional District, are pledging to raise $547,680 forthe Northern Medical Programs Trust (NMPT). The mayors, the Area B andC directors, and UNBC President Charles Jago all participated in thesigning ceremony today. The commitment will be known as the North PeaceCommunity Pledge and will support the education of physicians in theNorth.

Speaking on behalf of fellow municipal and regional leaders, MayorSteve Thorlakson of Fort St John announced that "the Northern MedicalPrograms Trust is an extension of the vision that our communitiesembraced with the concept and birth of UNBC - we were there withsupport then, and we are there with support now. We proudly challengeour communities of Taylor, Hudson's Hope, Areas B and C of the RegionalDistrict and Fort St. John to build this endowment to ensure thatNortherners recruit, train and teach our future generations ofphysicians - we will all benefit."

Ebe (Eberhard) Bauer, Director and Chair of the Board of North PeaceSavings and Credit Union was also in attendance and launched thecampaign with the following announcement: "North Peace Savings andCredit Union is committed to 'Community' and to encouraging andsupporting our people in their community endeavors. Our members makethe Credit Union 'choice' with the expectation the North Peace CreditUnion will in turn make the 'Community' choice on their behalf withtheir needs and desires in mind. It is with this duty in mind that thedirectors of the North Peace Savings and Credit Union have committed$40,000 over the next four years to the Northern Medical ProgramsTrust."

The Northern Medical Program is a collaboration between UBC and UNBC totrain physicians in the North for practice in northern and rural areas.

The NMPT is a partnership involving UNBC and the communities andcitizens of northern BC. It is unique in Canada and demonstrates theimportance of physician training to the region. The communitiesparticipating in the program will direct the use of funds raised inpartnership with UNBC. The goal of the NMPT is to ensure thatnortherners and other students in the NMP, who wish to practicemedicine here, are not financially disadvantaged from pursuing medicaleducation. A stable and sufficient supply of physicians will have asignificant impact on local health care, quality of life, long termcommunity stability and economic development.

Communities are central to the success of the NMP. A total of 20northern BC communities have pledged money to the Northern MedicalPrograms Trust. The financial goal of the NMPT is to establish anendowment of at least $6 million, with annual earnings used to assistNMP students with the extraordinary costs they will experience as partof the program. To date, northern BC communities have already raisedover $1.1 million in donations and pledges.

For more information about the Northern Medical Program, log on to the web site at www.unbc.ca/nmp.