BC Government looks to distribute 1 billion dollars to provincial communities towards infrastructure needs

The Province of British Columbia has announced 1 billion dollars
in one time funding for municipal and regional governments to
use on infrastructure work

Some good news for communities around British Columbia that are struggling to build or replace aging community infrastructure.

Premier David Eby announced today that the BC Government will be providing one billion dollars in new grants to British Columbia's 188 municipalities and Regional Districts, that cash injection coming through the Growing Communities Fund. 

The funding to be put to use to address their community’s unique infrastructure and amenities demands – such as recreation facilities, parks and water-treatment plants, as well as other community infrastructure.

“B.C.’s strong economy and natural beauty continue to attract people from across Canada and around the world. Cities and towns need support to build thriving, livable communities. The new Growing Communities Fund will help local municipalities improve roads, build more arenas and water facilities, and improve recreation options for families.” -- Premier David Eby

The grants will be distributed to the Municipalities and Regional Districts by the end of March 2023, the one time funding comes out of the surplus shown in the Second Quarter Financial Report.

As part of today's statement, the province observed how it had hard from local government towards the need for infrastructure funding, the Government noting that Infrastructure funding programs are routinely significantly oversubscribed. For example, there are six times more requests for funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program Community, Culture and Recreation stream than what is available.  

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities hailed today's announcement and noted how it will help with urgent priorities for municipal government.

“Today’s announcement provides the largest single provincial investment in communities in our province’s history/, This unprecedented transfer will help meet the needs of growing populations through the expansion of facilities and replacement of aging infrastructure.

It will also support climate adaptation to sustain service delivery and safeguard residents from the risks of extreme weather. By delivering the funds with maximum flexibility, the Province is ensuring that they will be directed to urgent local priorities. This shows tremendous commitment from the province and is welcome news for residents in all communities.”  -- Jen Ford, president, UBCM. 

The nature of the announcement indicates that the communities will be eligible to tap into the fund, so it's not clear yet how much each community may be receiving from the program.

The full statement from the Government can be reviewed here.

The money to be delivered in March will make for a welcome opportunity for the City of Prince Rupert to work on its many infrastructure concerns. 

The City has been seeking help from the Federal and Provincial government towards its current water infrastructure issues, the situation one which recently had the community under a State of Local Emergency in the week before Christmas.

You can review some of the city's planning towards infrastructure and Major projects from our archive page here.