NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release 2009CD0027-000334 September 17, 2009

Ministry of Community and Rural Development

 

COMMUNITIES RECEIVE $55 MILLION FOR LOCAL PRIORITIES

 

VICTORIA - The Province is providing more than $55 million to B.C.’s 188 communities, the second instalment of the Strategic Community Investment Fund, to support public safety initiatives and assist in providing important local services, Community and Rural Development Minister Bill Bennett announced.

 

“Through this advanced payment we are providing local governments with more funding sooner, so they can invest in their priority projects,” said Bennett. “Acceleration of these funds provides greater certainty for smaller rural communities, especially during these challenging economic times.”

 

The Strategic Community Investment Fund is a restructuring of provincial grants, providing $232.4 million over two years to B.C. communities. The fund consists of the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing program and Small Community and Regional District Grants. This payment of $55.5 million is the second instalment; a first instalment of $133 million was paid to communities in March and a further instalment of $38.6 million is planned for next year. In addition, a total of $5.3 million is being attributed to small and rural communities to reduce the police tax paid by residents of these areas.

 

“Municipalities understand that we return 100 per cent of their Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing dollars to put towards local policing and public safety priorities,” said Kash Heed, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. These dollars are making a real difference on neighbourhood streets by funding a variety of initiatives, like tackling grow-ops, youth outreach and drug awareness”.

 

Since 2001, the Province has given communities $384 million in traffic fine revenues and $348 million in Small Community and Regional District Grants. The Small Community and Regional District Grant allocation is based on population and assessment. Since 2004, through the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing program, 100 per cent of net traffic fine revenues have been returned to local governments. Traffic fine revenue comes from fines on violation tickets, with a municipality receiving an amount based on its contribution to total municipal policing costs.

 

For details on funding amounts for individual communities, please visit http://www.cd.gov.bc.ca/ministry/whatsnew/scif.htm.

 

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Media Contact:

Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Community Development 250 387-4089

 

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