Parks, infrastructure and roads.
Those are some of the projects in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam getting a boost from the B.C. government as the province has distributed its annual grants in lieu of property taxes as part of its recovery plan from COVID-19.
The two Tri-City communities are getting a combined total of nearly $1.3 million to improve community services, which also include necessities like fire protection and sewage.
"Through our annual grants-in-lieu program, we're reimbursing municipalities for the important services they provide to provincial properties so they can fund the services and projects that meet the needs of their communities," said B.C. citizens' services minister Lisa Beare in a news release from Wednesday (Nov. 10).
"The funding makes a big difference in communities throughout B.C., particularly now, as local governments and the people they serve to navigate the economic impacts of the [COVID-19] pandemic."
Broken down, Port Coquitlam is getting the bigger piece of the pie at $878,558.
That's also the sixth-highest grant in lieu of property taxes awarded to any of the municipalities listed for the 2021 fiscal year.
Coquitlam is set to receive $418,086.
They're two of 55 B.C. communities — 14 across the Lower Mainland — receiving more than $17 million for economic recovery.
Grants are also for properties owned by the provincial government such as office buildings, warehouses and courthouses.
- with files from Jess Balzer, Burnaby NOW
