As we all hold our breath, the Province is doing whatever it can to be proactive ahead of this year’s wildfire season.
As part of its ongoing commitment to reduce wildfire threats, the provincial government is providing more than $169,000 in community resiliency investment grants in order to support projects in the northwest region of British Columbia.
“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 just a piece of an investment of $6 million in community resiliency investment grants provided to 95 municipalities, regional districts, as well as First Nations throughout the province.
The recipients of the grant in the northwest region include:
- Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine: $99,080 to assist with education, planning, inter-agency co-operation, emergency planning, cross-training and FireSmart activities on private land
- Gitanyow Band: $24,628 to assist with education, planning, development, and cross-training
- Atlin Improvement District: $45,000 to assist with education, cross-training, and FireSmart activities on private land
A key component of the program is that it allows communities to apply for funding in order to cover 100 per cent of a wildfire risk reduction project. Eligible applicants facing a lower wildfire risk can apply for up to $25,000, while applicants who are facing a demonstrated higher wildfire risk can apply for up to $100,000.