Newsletter from Minister/MLA Hon. Katrine Conroy
By Katrine Conroy
Dear Community Member, Neighbour and Friends,
From music festivals to cultural celebrations, sports games to legendary local events, I know how much events big and small mean to our community and how excited we all were to see events return safely after being cancelled or put on hold due to COVID-19.
Our tourism industry is strong and supports our local economies, and events not only bring people together from our community, but often attract people from other areas of the province, country, and globe to experience all that B.C. has to offer.
That’s why we gave a combined $30 million to over 1000 fairs, festivals, and events all across B.C., including events right here in Kootenay West.
This round of funding for 2023/24 fairs, festivals, and events builds upon funding distributed as one-time grants in 2021 through our BC Fairs, Festivals, and Events Program, which helped thousands of events safely return after disruptions due to COVID-19.
B.C. is home to a diverse range of talent that shines during events, and attracts even more talent from all over! People want to join us in B.C. to experience these events too. With this support, these events will be ready to host guests and fans for another year. I hope to see you there!
Castlegar Sculpturewalk $2,000
Castlegar Sunfest $6,200
Arrow Lakes District Arts Council Society $2,500
Rossland Mountain Film Festival $3,000
PACE sports Broken Goat $5,200
Rossland Historical Museum & Archive $2,200
Slocan City International Music and Art Fair $11,700
Slocan Solutions Society $2,000
Trail & District Arts Council $7,900
Trail Silver City Days $10,900
Local events and festivals boost our tourism industry and bring people from across the province to visit our communities. This support will help ensure the events that residents look forward to will continue, giving everyone the chance to enjoy quality food, entertainment, and memories. Congratulations to all the recipients in Kootenay West and across the province!
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/economic-development/support-organizations-community-partners/rural-economic-development/redip – Rural Economy Funding image
Our government understands the importance of investing in our regional districts, non-profits, and Indigenous communities, and as we recover from the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we help communities grow their economies. I am proud to see our government support community-led growth with this new funding.
< >$1,000,000.00 Selkirk College Foundation, Geospatial Technology Integration in Forestry and Fisheries$1,000,000.00 Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce, The Confluence of Tourism and Economic Development – New PassiveHouse certified, Mass Timber Building$632,000.00 City of Rossland, Aqueduct Trail Improvements – Phase 2$246,232.00 Arrow & Slocan Lakes Community Services, Community Works “Bridging the Labour Force Gaps”$100,000.00 Nakusp and Area Development Board – NADB, Strengthening Community-Led Development in Nakusp$100,000.00 Village of Slocan, Slocan and Area Economic Diversification Capacity Building$45,680.00 New Denver Village, New Denver Commercial Core Vision and Action Planhttps://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/Housing – Secondary Suites image
BC needs to increase rental supply, quickly. Homeowners who want to do their part and help with the housing crisis will be able to apply for loans to build and rent secondary suites – one of the fastest ways we can add new housing supply. Beginning in early 2024, people can access a forgivable loan of 50% of the cost of renovations, up to a maximum of $40,000 over five years – if the homeowner meets all conditions laid out in the program, including renting their unit out at below market rates for a minimum of five years.
Learn more: https://StrongerBC.gov.bc.ca/Housing
New action plan delivers more homes for people, faster
The Province’s new housing plan will speed up delivery of new homes, increase the supply of middle-income housing, fight speculation and help those who need it the most. With Homes for People, we’re taking strong action to meet this moment, tackle these challenges head-on, and deliver more homes for people, faster. While some would pull back and let speculators back into our housing market, we’re determined to help people build good lives in their communities, secure a foundation for our economy, and build a brighter future and a stronger B.C. for everyone who lives here.
Province makes it easier for stratas to greenlight EV charging stations
More people living in strata buildings will soon be able to charge their electric vehicles (EVs) at home as the Province has introduced legislation to make it easier for strata corporations and owners to install charging stations.The proposed amendments to the Strata Property Act, introduced on Thursday, April 6, 2023, will improve access to EV charging stations in residential strata buildings by:
< >lowering the voting threshold from 75% to 50% approval for expenditures and changes to common and personal property that are needed to install EV charging stations;requiring strata corporations to obtain an electrical planning report to help understand the building’s electrical capacity and plan for the expansion of EV charging stations; andrequiring strata corporations to approve owners’ requests to install EV charging stations at the owners’ expense, when reasonable criteria are met.https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023LBR0013-000445 – Min wage increase image
Universal contraception coverage starts April 1
British Columbians will be the first in Canada to benefit from universal coverage of prescription contraceptives, which began April 1st. This will make it easier for people to access prescription contraceptives and is a milestone for gender equity in B.C. as costs will no longer be a barrier for people to make choices about their reproductive and sexual health. Through the B.C. Ministry of Health, the Province is funding more than $119 million over the next three years to provide coverage for eligible prescription contraceptions.
Service provider selected to help explain rights under Mental Health Act
The Province is one step closer to implementing the rights advice service to help people experiencing a mental-health crisis access information about their rights and available supports. After a competitive bidding process, the Province has selected the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA BC) to deliver the rights advice service in partnership with Health Justice, the Community Legal Assistance Society and Métis Nation BC. The service, which is expected to be available this fall, will have a team of independent rights advisers who will be available to meet with patients to provide information and answer questions about their rights and options.
New provincial partnership gives people access to digital job training
New funding will support more people to train for jobs in much-needed positions in the Kootenays, such as digital business managers, at Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences through a new Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) project funded by the Province. The Province is providing $470,000 to Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences to deliver digital business management training in Nelson. Participants will receive 26 weeks of employability and occupational skills training, four weeks on-the-job work experience with local employers, and four weeks of follow-up support.
Free, accessible data will help communities manage, adapt, plan
B.C. communities can look forward to high-quality data to support effective and informed decision-making on the planning and management of wildfires, landslides, floods and other natural events. The Province is investing more than $38 million in a new program over the next six years to collect light distance and ranging (LiDAR) elevation data. Gathering more LiDAR data will create better certainty for First Nations, local governments, communities, decision-makers, land-use planners and other stakeholders when planning for the impacts of climate change.
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023PSFS0023-000475 – Student Financial Aid image
B.C. announces $214 million in funding to boost school food programs – CBC News
We know that families are feeling pressure with global inflation and rising costs for things like groceries. We want to make sure that families are supported and that all students are going to school fed and ready to learn. That’s why we’re providing dedicated Feeding Futures funding that school districts can rely on to create or expand existing food programs.
B.C. politicians condemn violence against drag performers – Vancouver Is Awesome
Drag performers are skilled artists and they contribute so much to our cultural landscape. The violence, hate, and intimidation that they have faced in BC, and around the world, is unacceptable. We must support the drag community and help dispel unfounded fears about drag.
B.C. introduces ‘unexplained wealth orders’ to target organized crime- CTV News
We’re targeting organized crime by creating a new suite of tools to seize proceeds of crime, like fast cars, glamourous homes and luxury goods, making gang life unprofitable. Unexplained wealth orders will deter people from organized crime, like money laundering. We are working on every front to ensure British Columbians feel safe and that crime doesn’t pay.
My community office is open Monday to Thursday 10-3pm. Please call or email in advance to let Angelika and Sarah know when you are planning to come in so they can be ready in advance to assist you. If you have any questions or concerns about any provincial issue, or need assistance with a provincial body, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help. My office can be reached at 250-304-2783 or Katrine.Conroy.MLA@leg.bc.ca.
Sincerely,
Katrine Conroy
MLA Kootenay West
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