As part of its ongoing commitment to reduce wildfire threats, the B.C. government is providing $462,000 in community resiliency investment grants to support projects in the Cariboo Fire Centre.
“Community resiliency investment funding will help Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities increase their resiliency to wildfire threats,” said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. “The program is designed to support projects at the local level to help keep British Columbians safe.”
This funding is part of more than $6 million in community resiliency investment grants provided to 85 municipalities, regional districts and First Nations throughout the province, following the program’s first application intake. (See the list of grant recipients in the Cariboo Fire Centre in the attached backgrounder.)
The community resiliency investment program was established in September 2018 with $50 million to assist local governments and First Nations to lower wildfire risks around their communities. As part of Budget 2019, the B.C. government has provided an additional $10 million.
READ MORE: FireSmart BC urges communities to prepare for wildfire season
Recipients of community resiliency investment grants in the Cariboo Fire Centre include:
• City of Williams Lake: $100,000 to assist with education, planning, inter-agency co-operation, fuel and vegetation management, and FireSmart activities on private land
• City of Quesnel: $100,000 to assist with education, planning, development, emergency planning, fuel and vegetation management, and FireSmart activities on private land
• Williams Lake Indian Band:$100,000 to assist with planning, development, inter-agency co-operation, emergency planning, cross-training, FireSmart demonstration projects, fuel and vegetation management, and FireSmart activities on private land
• Nazko First Nation: $62,000 to assist with education, planning, development, inter-agency co-operation, and FireSmart activities on private land
• Canim Lake Band: $100,000 to assist with fuel and vegetation management
Mitigating wildfire threats is a shared responsibility of the provincial government, local governments, First Nations, industry, stakeholders and individual British Columbians. The community resiliency investment program takes a holistic approach to risk reduction and fuel management treatments by considering fire prevention activities on provincial Crown land, private land, local government land and reserve land.
A key component of the program is that it lets communities apply for funding to cover up to 100% of a wildfire risk reduction project. Eligible applicants facing a lower wildfire risk can apply for up to $25,000, while applicants facing a demonstrated higher wildfire risk can apply for up to $100,000.
The Union of B.C. Municipalities administers the community resiliency investment program and processes grant applications.
Fore more visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/prevention/funding-for-wildfire-prevention/crip
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