The Ministry of Citizen Services was in Kamloops today to tout grants-in-lieu paid to communities around B.C.

Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary for Forestry who was speaking on behalf of Minister of Citizen Services Selina Robinson, explained the province contributed more than $16 million to municipalities where it operates government buildings.

That money is paid annually in place of property taxes, because the province is exempt from paying property taxes through the federal Constitution Act. Kahlon says the grants-in-lieu are calculated to being the same as what the province would’ve paid in property taxes.

Mayor Ken Christian says the province paid nearly $1.3 million dollars in grants-in-lieu to Kamloops.

“People talk about KRCC (Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre) as something that’s in our city, but the amount of taxes from the KRCC is $500,000 dollars. Places like the Kamloops Regional Courthouse, another $320,000 of that,” Christian says.

“Not only are these taxpaying enterprises within our cities, but the employees that you have and support in our cities live here, they pay taxes as well. So it really bodes well for Kamloops to be a regional centre of your government, and we are proud to continue that.”

Only Vancouver and Prince George have more provincially-owned buildings than Kamloops.