Investing in Communities
By Brittny Anderson
Despite the challenges that the pandemic had on our businesses, communities, and our province, BC bounced back quickly and continues to have one of the strongest economies in Canada.
The result is a one-time budget surplus of over $5 billion dollars from the last fiscal year. It is an advantageous situation for a government to be in.
A large portion of that surplus will go to a program that is close to my heart, helping rural towns and cities thrive. The Growing Communities Fund provides $1 billion dollars in grant money to help communities across our province deliver infrastructure projects to ensure they have the resources in place to support people.
There’s now over five million people living in BC and many of the new arrivals are coming to the southern interior. BC is known for having one of the highest standards of living in the world, people are flocking here for the beauty and opportunity, and who can blame them?
The secret is out, people are arriving to the Kootenays because it is such a marvelous place to live. Take Kaslo as an example, locals know it is one of the prettiest communities in Canada and now, it’s also among the fastest growing in our region.
To help Kaslo accommodate the influx of new residents, the community will receive $919,000 dollars from the provincial Growing Communities Fund. This represents almost 20% of Kaslo’s annual budget. That infusion of cash will go a long way in helping the village meet locals needs.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) will get over $4 million dollars in grant money from the same program. Finance Minister Katrine Conroy and I personally delivered the news to RDCK chair Aimee Watson, and she was thrilled.
This is a difficult time to be in local government as our communities grow and adjusting to that growth is expensive. Our government designed this fund to equitably help communities manage their growth, invest in infrastructure, and make communities across BC even better places to live.
This investment is a solid one because it’s local elected officials and staff on the ground who know what’s most needed for their towns, cities, and rural areas. They know best how the funds can help their communities thrive.
Premier Eby said when presenting the last budget that “putting resources where they are needed, when we have the ability to do it now, is important,” and I couldn’t agree more.
All 188 towns, cities and regional districts in BC are receiving these grants. I worked in local government for nearly three years in Creston, Cranbrook and at the RDCK, then served on Nelson City Council for two additional years before being elected as your MLA.
That gave me an understanding of how difficult it is to balance budgets and still deliver the services people need in their growing communities. It’s a tough balancing act and this funding will help them do it.
This money will address infrastructure and amenities needs, such as affordable housing, road improvements, childcare spaces, and anything else where the need is identified by local elected officials.
Like I said from the start, it is an advantageous situation for a government to be in, and we are making the best of this opportunity by investing in communities and people across the province.
Brittny Anderson, MLA for Nelson-Creston
