VICTORIA – Public safety and other important municipal services will be getting a boost thanks to $38.6 million that the Province is providing to 188 of B.C.’s local governments in the latest instalment of the Strategic Community Investment Fund, Community and Rural Development Minister Ben Stewart announced today.
“Communities have shown real leadership in the way they use Strategic Community Investment funds during these tough economic times,” said Stewart. “By putting these dollars in the hands of local governments, we’re able to help them support vital public safety initiatives and other important community services.”
This year’s funding will be used for more police officers, new police equipment such as imaging cameras, identification equipment and police vehicles, and a variety of community safety and crime prevention initiatives. As well, the funding will be put to other local priorities such as new infrastructure, local planning, improvements to existing infrastructure and roadways, and local employment opportunities.
The Strategic Community Investment Fund is a restructuring of provincial grants, consisting of the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing program and Small Community and Regional District Grants. This payment of $38.6 million is the third instalment of a total $227 million provided to local governments since 2009. A first instalment of $133 million was paid to communities in March 2009, and a second instalment of $55.5 million was paid in September 2009.
Since 2001, the Province has given communities $413 million in traffic fine revenues and $363 million in Small Community and Regional District Grants. The Small Community and Regional District Grant allocation is based on population and assessment, and since 2005 these grants have been doubled to approximately $54 million a year.
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.
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