Gibsons council approved a $1,500 grant in aid to the Sunshine Coast RCMP victim services program at its June 6 meeting.
That approval means the town’s contribution to the 2023 costs for this Coast-wide service of just over 31 cents per person is at the same level as the unincorporated areas of the Sunshine Coast Regional District.
When this year's town budget was debated a line item for that funding was excluded as Mayor Silas White requested time to look into the funding formula for the program and how B.C. communities like Gibsons, with populations under 5,000, handle such requests. As the province retains all traffic fine revenue generated in the smaller communities, he questioned whether those funds were already part of provincial funding to that service. His concern was ensuring his community was not contributing twice for the same program if it also provided a grant funded from its own coffers.
In a report on the meeting agenda, White outlined that the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General confirmed to him that while there is an expectation for larger communities to match the province’s funding of half the costs for local victim service programs, communities under 5,000 are “encouraged” to fund the program.
“I suggest that while we are under a population of 5,000… we should currently be paying a fair proportion to what our neighbouring electoral areas are paying based on our relative populations… When we surpass 5,000 we will need to share the responsibility with Sechelt of being 'expected' to match the provincial funding, hence our need to find savings in our budget to build up a policing reserve and eventually 30% of municipal taxation for policing," White wrote in his report.
Council asked that an invitation to appear as a delegation at a future meeting be sent to the group so that they can update elected officials on the services provided and expenses occurred by the program before 2024 funding allocations are debated.
The award brings the town’s initial 2023 grants to community groups up to $4,500, with $3,000 in funding to six organizations approved on April 25. This year's town budget for grants of assistance is $10,000.
