Municipalities and First Nations in the Prince George Fire Centre are receiving more than $350,000 in funding as part of the B.C. government's resiliency investment grants for projects in their community to help reduce wildfire risks.
Recipients within the Prince George Fire Centre are:
- Mackenzie: $181,450 to assist with fuel and vegetation management, and FireSmart activities on private land
- Fort Nelson First Nation: $100,000 to assist with education, fuel and vegetation management, and FireSmart activities on private land
- Kwadacha Nation: $98,665 to assist with development, and fuel and vegetation management
- Tsay Keh Dene Nation: $15,660 to assist with education and planning
"Community resiliency investment funding will help Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities increase their resiliency to wildfire threats," Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development says in a release. "The program is designed to support projects at the local level to help keep British Columbians safe."
The funding is part of more than $6 million in community resiliency investment grants provided to 85 municipalities, regional districts and First Nations throughout the province.
Communities are able to apply for funding to cover up to 100 per cent of a wildfire risk reduction project. Eligible applicants facing a lower wildfire risk can apply for up to $25,000, while applicants facing a demonstrated higher wildfire risk can apply for up to $100,000.
The community resiliency investment program was created in September 2018, with a $50 million budget to help local governments and First Nations lower wildfire risks.
As part of the recent 2019 budget, another $10 million has been provided by the government.
"Mitigating wildfire threats is a shared responsibility of the provincial government, local governments, First Nations, industry, stakeholders and individual British Columbians," the release adds. "The community resiliency investment program takes a holistic approach to risk reduction and fuel management treatments by considering fire prevention activities on provincial Crown land, private land, local government land, and reserve land."
