The provincial government has recently announced the second round of the ‘small communities fund,’ a grant that supports local infrastructure expansion projects and upgrades in B.C. municipalities.
The small communities fund helps local governments with populations under 100,000 by providing up to two-thirds of the total eligible costs of building local public infrastructure.
Sheryl Worthing, Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Burns Lake, confirmed that the village will be applying for the second round of this grant. However, it is still undetermined which infrastructure project will be chosen to receive upgrades.
According to Worthing, council will likely apply for this grant to replace the village’s water tower, but this decision will only be made as the village gets “farther into the budgeting process.”
“We have an extensive capital asset management plan that will help guide council's decisions,” said Worthing.
Eligible project areas include, but are not limited to drinking water, solid waste management, green energy, highways and major roads, public transit, connectivity and broadband.
The fund will open for intake on Oct. 30, 2015, closing on April 30, 2016. Applications will be reviewed and assessed by the fall of 2016 with approvals anticipated in the winter of 2016-17.
Premier Christy Clark announced the second round of the small communities fund during the 2015 Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention held in Vancouver last month.
"The foundation of all successful, vibrant communities is the same - modern, efficient infrastructure,” said Clark. “This new round of investment will help give smaller communities the tools they need to attract new jobs and investment, both today and in the future."
The small communities fund's second round will invest $90 million - $45 million each from the B.C. and federal governments - plus contributions from approved applicants. The fund's first round resulted in $128 million - $64 million each from the B.C. and federal governments - to support 55 projects with estimated total project costs of $223 million.
The provincial government’s total investment in both rounds of the small communities fund is $109 million.