By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle

Grant funding for the Town of Oliver continues to make steady progress, as Council recently got its first updates on grant profiles in over six months.

The June 2026 Grant Funding Update, presented by Stephanie Moore, the Town’s Grants Coordinator, showcased the status of grant applications across several different items. This provided an at-a-glance of grant applications for the first time since early December of 2025.

This was a farewell report of sorts for Moore, who is moving on from the Town of Oliver after having been the Grants Coordinator for the past 18 months. Joining her in the presentation was her successor, Conor Loughnane, who previously was part of the Town’s WaterSmart team in 2022 and 2023,

Moore’s report notes that the Town is still awaiting a decision on over $8 million worth of grant funding; however, most of that amount is allocated to two profiles in particular.

One of the profiles, to improve the Wolfcub Creek Corridor and give it better resilience against natural disasters, has an application for $5 million active, while a Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) application for $2.7 million for Similkameen Avenue upgrades is also still pending.

Seven profiles were also turned down for grant funding altogether, and the report highlighted two noteworthy non-approvals. A BC Air Access program grant application to help rebuild the runway at the Oliver Airport was rejected, and so too was the Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program (AWP) application to help out with Rockcliffe irrigation pump upgrades.

No reason was listed for the Oliver Airport profile, but the report mentioned that “Oliver was deemed to not be a geographic priority area for the AWP Stream 4 Program.” A Stream 3 application, however, is one of the profiles still awaiting a decision on approval.

Over $1.34 million in projects are in the process of being funded currently, with $429,500 of that amount being received to date. Among the biggest approved projects is the FireSmart program funding, with $400,000 being approved for the Town of Oliver by the UBCM.

Loughnane presented a couple of upcoming grant applications, following his introduction to Council.

The Town is set to apply for the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation’s grant, seeking $22,500 for a FireSmart and WaterSmart demonstration garden at the town’s Fire Hall, along with a new application to the Build Communities Strong Fund to assist with Similkameen Avenue upgrades, up to over $2.75 million.

Councillor Terry Schafer extended appreciation for all of Moore’s contributions to Oliver following the presentation. “We will miss you,” Schafer said. “Thanks again for all your hard work!”

The update was received for information by Council without any additional discussion.