Pitt Meadows receives provincial funding for wildfire safety

The City of Pitt Meadows has received $50,000 from the province to help make the city safe from wildfires.

The B.C. government has provided more than $4.3 million in grants to 42 local governments and First Nations in the Coastal Fire Centre to support wildfire risk reduction initiatives and help keep communities safe.

In Pitt Meadows, it will be used to assist with education, planning, inter-agency co-operation, emergency planning and cross-training.

“Mitigating wildfire threats is crucial to help safeguard people, homes and businesses throughout the province,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. “Since the Community Resiliency Investment program was established in 2018, our government has approved 366 grants to local governments and First Nations totalling over $37 million.”

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Funding provided through CRI’s FireSmart Community Funding and Supports category helps Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments reduce wildfire risks around their communities. Recipients can use the money for wildfire risk reduction and fire prevention activities related to the FireSmart program areas including education, vegetation management, community planning and more.

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Mitigating wildfire threats is a shared responsibility of the provincial government, local governments, First Nations, industry, stakeholders and individual British Columbians, said a press release from the province, announcing the latest funding. The Community Resiliency Investment program helps increase community resiliency by funding activities that promote FireSmart education, planning and opportunities for partnerships through regional FireSmart committees.