TAXATION GRANTS
The B.C. Liberal government is providing annual grants-in-lieu of property taxes to municipalities.
This year, the grant to the District of 100 Mile House totals $21,466.
Grants-in-lieu are distributed each year toward untaxed land owned by the province located inside municipalities, including courthouses, provincial government office buildings and BC Ambulance stations.
Approximately $18.2-million in 2013 grants are being awarded to 63 communities across the province.
TEXTING DRIVERS
Some drivers continue to text at the wheel, despite a British Columbia law banning the use of personal electronic devices while driving in force since 2010, carrying a fine of $167 and three penalty points.
B.C. Crime Prevention Association studies show texting and driving makes a person 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash, and reveals five seconds of texting at 80 km/h is equivalent to almost 100 metres of missed road.
Safety tips are online at www.bccpa.org.
LNG MEMO
A new Memorandum of Understanding between the province’s Environmental Assessment Office and the BC Oil and Gas Commission will streamline environmental assessments and permitting for liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects.
The two agencies regulate many of the same projects in the oil and gas sector, so co-ordinating their work will reduce duplication, improve timelines and manage a single, predictable regulatory regime for LNG projects.
A copy of the memorandum is available at www.eao.gov.bc.ca/EAO_OGC.html.
