In the aftermath of this week’s visit by the Prime Minister the President of the Union of BC Municipalities is emphasizing the need for federal infrastructure funding.
Arjun Singh says the need for infrastructure funding across municipalities is urgent.
“You know it is really a big gap we have right now in terms of funding. Even as they are rolling out new programs and stuff these are always oversubscribed. Property taxes are local government’s main way of raising capital and making money is not sufficient. We really need that money and we really need that money. We are looking to work with the federal government and the provincial government to ensure that it is as flexible as possible.”
Singh says local governments are being urged to adopt asset management practices, essentially an inventory and timeline on all community infrastructure.
“Well do we make sure we are knowing when pieces of infrastructure might be needing repair or full replacement.”
Singh says while roads, sewer, and water systems are the bread and butter of infrastructure funding there are new streams to take advantage of.
Among them he says are government funding opportunities for green projects, recreation centres, and the latest at the provincial level is child care funding.
Singh was asked if there is the possibility of infrastructure funding from two senior levels of government might come into play in the new downtown performing arts centre plan.
“I think there would be a definite chance for that. There is a stream now from the federal government. I just saw actually that the District of Invermere in the Kootenays just got a recreation arts centre up and running and a quarter or more of there funding was from grants from federal and provincial governments. This is happening across the country and we should all get our share of that.”
The Fawcett family is donating up to $10 million in land donation and other costs for the project.
But that still leaves somewhere around $60 million of the estimated $70 million cost for the performing arts centre proposal that needs to be covered.
