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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
WHISTLER – The
Province is returning a record $41.7 million in traffic fine revenue to 23
Lower Mainland municipalities this year, helping them enhance their policing
and community-based public safety programs, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today in his address to the Lower
Mainland Local Government Association convention.
“Communities
throughout the Lower Mainland have used these funds to put their vision for
community safety initiatives into action, including more police officers,
outreach services for youth, traffic safety and drug awareness programs,” said
Premier Campbell.
“We’ve watched
over the past few years how local governments have used these funds in a
variety of innovative and effective ways to help make their communities safer,” said Community Services Minister
Ida Chong. “This increased funding has also allowed municipalities to hire 560 new
police officers across B.C.”
Since expanding the Traffic Fine Revenue
program in 2004 to give local governments 100 per cent of traffic fine revenue,
the Province has returned over $180 million in additional funding to Lower
Mainland communities alone. This year’s funding represents an increase of $12.7
million in annual funding for Lower Mainland communities since 2004, and an
increase of $1.75 million from 2007.
This grant
program assists municipalities that directly pay police enforcement costs. The
provincial traffic fine revenue comes from ticket fines and court-imposed fines
on violation tickets, and the amount of money a municipality receives is based
on its contribution to total municipal policing costs.
Prior to its expansion in 2004, qualifying
municipalities received $10 million per year.
Since its expansion in 2004, B.C.’s Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing program
has provided an additional $210 million to local governments to improve public
safety and policing – for a total of over $250 million.
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contact: |
Press Secretary Office of the Premier 604 307-7177 |
Communications Manager Ministry of Community Services 250 387-4089 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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