qathet Regional District (qRD) will be receiving another $117,000 in government grant money to help offset the effects of COVID-19.
The province has announced regional districts in BC will receive $10 million to support local services and operations, building on the COVID-19 safe restart grant funding for local governments that has already been distributed. In the first round of funding, qRD received $424,000, which will be used to fund rural area services.
According to manager of financial services Linda Greenan, the funds received in the first grant allocation will be used to support technology upgrades required to support physical distancing, and to offset increased operational costs and revenue shortfalls across many services.
As for the $117,000 that has just been granted, Greenan said at this point, the regional district has not had time to consider how the funding will be allocated.
“As the 2021 to 2025 financial plan is going forward for adoption tomorrow (March 25), use of the funds will need to be processed through budget amendments,” said Greenan. “Any recommendations for allocation will consider advice given by the regional board. At any rate, the funding is a welcome infusion to the qRD as we are limited in ways to generate revenue, especially during and on the heels of the pandemic.”
According to a media release from the province, regional districts in BC will receive $10 million to support local services and operations, building on the historic COVID-19 relief and recovery supports provided to communities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all our lives and local governments are on the front line, which is why we have already delivered hundreds of millions of dollars directly to communities to support them through restart and recovery,” stated minister of municipal affairs Josie Osborne. “We’ve partnered with communities to deliver the critical services people count on, and now we’re further boosting support to regional districts to make sure we continue to reach people in every corner of British Columbia.”
According to the release, the safe restart agreement is funded equally by the governments of BC and Canada.
