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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
VICTORIA - The
Province will be returning more than $63 million in traffic fine revenue to
local governments, helping municipalities to enhance their policing and community-based
public safety programs, Community Development Minister Kevin Krueger announced.
“Since we expanded this program in 2004 to
give local governments 100 per cent of traffic fine revenue, we’ve seen how
these funds have been used in a variety of innovative and effective ways to help make our communities safer,” said
Krueger. “We returned an additional $210 million to communities between 2004
and 2008 and the money we are advancing today provides a further $63 million to
enable British Columbia local governments to hire more officers and invest in
local projects, ranging from youth outreach and drug awareness programs to
traffic safety.”
The traffic fine revenue sharing
program assists municipalities that directly pay police enforcement costs. The grants
come from ticket fines and court-imposed fines on violation tickets.
“Residents are more secure in their homes and
on the streets of their towns, thanks to the expansion of this program, which
has seen municipalities hire 560 new police officers since 2003,” said John van
Dongen, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “We’re pleased to continue to provide local
governments with the resources necessary to improve policing, prevent crime and
build safer neighborhoods and communities.”
In recent years, this funding has also
allowed communities to establish police teams focused on repeat offenders,
provided additional resources to fight organized crime and strengthened
community outreach services.
The $63 million in Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing is being provided through the Strategic Community Investment Fund, a restructuring of provincial grant programs so communities will see more funding sooner, giving them greater certainty and improved financial flexibility. The first $133-million instalment on this two-year, $232-million initiative consists of the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing Program and Small Community and Regional District Grants.
The amount of money a municipality receives is based on its contribution to total municipal policing costs. Of the Strategic Community Investment Fund Traffic Fine Revenue committed today, $45 million will go to communities in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley to address urban policing priorities.
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 put an additional $263 million
into local government coffers to improve public safety and policing.
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contact: |
Ministry of Community Development 250 356-6334 |
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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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