The City of Abbotsford announced today (Wednesday) that they have received $8.338 million from the B.C. provincial government under the COVID-19 Safe Restart Grants for Local Governments program.
The funding is part of the $540 million of joint federal/provincial spending announced by the provincial government in September. The grant was provided to assist with increased operating costs and lower revenue due to COVID‐19.
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“The City of Abbotsford is extremely grateful to the province for this much needed funding that will support our community recovery efforts,” stated Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun in a press release. “I’d personally like to thank the Premier and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for this grant and for their ongoing efforts to ensure that communities across the province receive the supports they need to continue building a resilient, secure future for our province.”
The press release states that the City is now able to use the funds for a number of things such as:
- addressing revenues shortfalls
- facility reopening and operating costs
- emergency planning and response costs
- bylaw enforcement and protective services like fire protection and police
- computer and other electronic technology costs (to improve interconnectivity and virtual communications)
- services for vulnerable persons (e.g. persons living with disabilities, mental illness or addictions, persons experiencing homelessness or other vulnerabilities
More information on the provincial program can be found at gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-responserecovery/covid-19-provincial-support/bc-restart-plan.