By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Osoyoos will receive $150,000 from the province to develop a plan to reduce flood damage and to help deal with damage costs.
In a statement the Town said it has been working hard to apply for grants “to assist with various priorities and reduce the burden on our taxpayers.”
The grant funding will reimburse 100 per cent of the costs of the project and will reduce damage to key infrastructure along the foreshore.
“This announcement is another win for our Town in that Council continues to reduce overall long-term costs to reduce the burden on our taxpayers,” says Osoyoos Mayor, Sue McKortoff.
“Climate change is here to stay,” she notes adding that the more prepared the town is the better it can eliminate or reduce damage to property and infrastructure.
“Council has worked hard to lobby the provincial government for financial relief to help make us a sustainable municipality,” she adds.
Osoyoos CAO Rod Risling said work on the project will begin immediately, adding its a project “we hope to never use but undoubtedly will,” given the increasing frequency of negative consequences as a result of climate change.
“The efforts of Council and Administration made today’s announcement possible. Council and residents have received a significant amount of information regarding our infrastructure over the past several months.
“As a result, Council has prioritized addressing infrastructure issues to ensure we can continue to enjoy all that this wonderful community has to offer,” says McKortoff
It was also highlighted that during this Council’s tenure – at this point about one third of the way through – the Town has received $14.1 million in grants outside of the standard recurring annual provincial and federal grants.
This funding “was and is being spent on infrastructure within the Town’s municipal boundaries,” it added.
This compares to the previous 13 years, where the Town received $15.4 million of which $4.53 million was invested within the municipal boundaries and $10.83 million spent outside.
McKortoff expressed the town’s gratitude to MLA Roly Russell and Bowinn Ma, Minister Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
“This announcement is an investment in our community. It will allow us to prepare and ultimately protect the infrastructure that we rely on daily,” McKortoff adds.
