The provincial government’s defence of victims assistance funding is gaining little acceptance.
Eric Foster, Vernon-Monashee MLA, appeared before the Regional District of North Okanagan board Wednesday to address concerns that Ministry of Justice funding has not kept up with increasing costs.
“The level of service the North Okanagan provides is higher than what other agencies provides in the province. There is a cap on funding,” he said, suggesting there is a 24/7 response from volunteers here.
And while Foster would like to see other funding models considered, he told directors the government faces some challenges.
“We’re flat tapped out. The minute you start increasing in one area, it goes right across the province and that’s a big chunk (of money),” he said.
However, those comments led some board members to accuse Victoria of downloading its responsibilities.
“My taxpayers are the same ones you have and they don’t have any more money. Don’t impose more duties on us,” said director Earl Shipmaker.
Director Juliette Cunningham pointed out that the federal and provincial governments have more ability to raise revenue than regional districts.
“The fiscal imbalance we have is out of whack,” she said.
Manager Anita Eilander also took issue with Foster’s suggestion that the victims assistance program is an around-the-clock service here.
“I’m not sure I agree that our level of service is different than other communities,” she said.
“We don’t get called out in the night any more.”
To deal with the current financial crunch, the RDNO board has amended the service bylaw so a maximum of $140,000 can be collected in taxes. The current cap is $120,000.
Ron Baker, community protective services manager, says a number of factors have led to increased costs, including the provincial government mandating some activities.
“The (ministry) grant has stayed the same but the costs have escalated,” he said.
Specifically, RDNO has been told to provide services to Falkland although it is in the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District.
RDNO has requested a meeting with its CSRD counterparts to discuss possibly contributing for Falkland services.
