March 3, 2022 (Surrey, BC) – Métis Nation British Columbia Minister of Economic Development and Natural Resources, Louis De Jaeger, has joined the Board of the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association (BIA). Minister De Jaeger, who also serves as the Director for MNBC’s Region 2 (Lower Mainland), is a former restaurant owner and sessional instructor at the University of the Fraser Valley as a professor of First Nations Studies. Minister De Jaeger also serves on MNBC’s 2SLGBTQQIA+ Advisory Committee.
De Jaeger has a Master’s in Business and Aboriginal Leadership from Simon Fraser University and a certificate in Indigenous Governance from the University of Arizona’s Native Nations Institute. He currently serves on University of the Fraser Valley Committee on Indigenization, on the board of directors for Stó:l_ Community Futures, as director for the Métis Capital Corporation of B.C. and as part of the Chilliwack Healthier Community initiative.
Previously, De Jaegar held positions as co-founder and president of the Stó:l_ Business Association and on the Chilliwack Business Improvement board. He is a recipient of RBC’s Entrepreneur Scholarship Award for business and holds certifications in Indigenous Historical Impact and Economic Development.
“We are thrilled to welcome Minister Louis De Jaeger to the Board of the Downtown Surrey BIA,” says Mike Nielsen, Chair Downtown Surrey BIA Board of Directors. “This is a time of incredible growth into the downtown core of Surrey, and having leaders like Louis play a key role will help shape the vision and mandate of the Board today and into the future. During this transformative time in our region, Louis’ voice and expertise are welcome additions to our team.”
ABOUT DOWNTOWN SURREY BIA
In 2001, a core group of concerned business and property owners in Whalley met to discuss issues of concern in their community. This ad hoc group was interested in the Business Improvement Area (BIA) concept and saw this as a promising planning and economic development tool for the area. Since that time, the BIA comprised a vast area of approximately 414 acres in North Surrey. The BIA stretches along the King George Boulevard from 96 to 112 Avenues; and is roughly bounded on the west and east by University Drive and Whalley Boulevard.
Today the DSBIA includes some of Western Canada’s top businesses, academic organizations and community leading not-for-profit organizations. As one of the most dynamic and fastest growing regions in the country, the downtown core is experiencing incredible growth and investment.