Local Gov'ts receive funding for community services

Courtesy of the Government of BC:

Editor's Note -- the District of Wells will be receiving $425,350; the City of Quesnel will be receiving $601,646; the City of Williams Lake will be receiving $592,085; the District of 100 Mile House will be receiving $372,044 and the Cariboo Regional District will be receiving $140,000

The Province is supporting local governments throughout B.C. to meet their community’s needs, and provide basic services.

Included are varied infrastructure projects, such as water and sewer upgrades, police resources and staffing, and public safety programs.

“Local governments use these grants to help provide the services, programs and infrastructure that promote safety and benefit communities throughout the Province,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “These types of services are a big part of what makes living in British Columbia so great, and our government is pleased to provide these resources to continue building an even better B.C.”

The annual funding is provided through the Small Community Grant, Regional District Grant and Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing Grant programs. Local governments will receive approximately $108 million in shared funding from the provincial government to support local services and projects.

“We are pleased to share traffic-fine revenues with local governments to support their policing costs and community safety initiatives to help keep B.C. a safe place to live,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “Our government is committed to continued support of local initiatives that benefit people throughout the province.”

The Small Community and Regional District Grant programs provide unconditional grants, enabling local governments to spend the funding according to their needs.

Since 2009, people in British Columbia have benefited from over $1.1 billion in funding from these three grant programs.

For a complete list of approved grants for 2018, visit -  https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Appendix_A.pdf

Quick Facts:

For 2018, the Small Community Grant, Regional District Grant and Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing
Grant funding is allocated as follows:

Small- and medium-sized communities, regional districts and the Islands Trust, will receive over $54 million in Small Community Grant and Regional District Grant funding.

Communities with populations of 5,000 or greater will receive about $51 million in Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing Grant funding.

Rural communities, and municipalities with less than 5,000 people, will receive a reduction in the provincial police tax of approximately $2 million per year, to help with policing costs.

Since 2009, the Small Community Grant and Regional District Grant programs have provided over $545 million to help address infrastructure, administration and service-delivery priorities.
Small Community Grants aid communities with populations of fewer than approximately 20,000.

Since 2009, more than $567 million has been provided, through net traffic fine revenues, to fund policing and community safety for communities with populations over 5,000.

Communities with populations of 5,000 or greater pay for policing services. Therefore, they are qualified to receive a Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing Grant.

Communities with populations between 5,000 and 20,000, qualify for both the Small Community Grant and the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing Grant programs.

Learn More:

For more information on Small Community, Regional District and Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing Grants, go to:

www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/local-governments/grants-transfers