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By Kevin Rothwell

Millions flow in COVID relief funds

Provincial COVID-19 safe restart grant funding allocated

Feb 21, 2021 | 8:00 AM

Local governments in B.C. received $425 million from the provincial COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant Program, and the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) has detailed where the $741,000 the district received will be spent.

A report to the Feb. 17 board meeting stated the grants be allocated as follows:

• $462,000 to the Electoral Areas with specific funding decisions to be determined by the Electoral Area Advisory Committee.

• $110,000 to reimburse various RDNO services for direct costs incurred in 2020 related to the pandemic.

• $92,000 to fund requests from the City of Vernon, City of Enderby and Village of Lumby for recreation related costs within the Greater Vernon Recreation and Programming, Fortune Parks and White Valley Parks, Recreation & Culture services.

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• $77,000 to general government for future corporate office improvements.

In addition to funds allocated to RDNO, North Okanagan communities received over $12 million in grants.

Graph of allocation (photo / RDNO)

There were few restrictions on the use of the grant funds. They could be used for anything from revenue shortfalls, to emergency planning and upgrading technology.

Municipalities received a flat funding amount of $169,000, plus an adjusted population amount of $308.34 per capita. The adjustment to a municipality’s population provides a declining per capita amount for populations over 2,000.