Local projects in Kootenay East will benefit from more than $688,000 in funding from the B.C. government’s Strategic Community Investment Fund (SCIF).

Cranbrook, Elkford and Fernie, as well as the Regional District of East Kootenay are getting the funds.

The Strategic Community Investment Fund restructures the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing program and Small Community and Regional District Grants. Since 2009, the Strategic Community Investment Fund (SCIF) has provided more than $600 million in funding to support B.C. communities and enable them to invest money in projects that are identified at the local level as a priority. The SCIF program was implemented by the province at that time to help provide local governments with greater financial stability in economically uncertain times.

Communities receiving Small Community & Regional District Grants: Cranbrook – $82,320; Elkford – $186,243; Fernie – $219,251; East Kootenay Regional District – $80,452.

Additionally, Cranbrook is getting $120,185 in traffic fine revenues.

“These grants are significant for small communities. In some towns, they assist with basic, day-to-day operations; in others, they support local projects that have been identified as high priorities,” says Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett. “This funding is in the hands of municipalities to help ensure their residents continue to have the services and infrastructure that matter to them.”

The Small Community Grant and Regional District Basic Grant are grants to local governments, to assist them in providing basic services.

The Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing program directly assists eligible municipalities that pay police enforcement costs. The grants come from ticket fines and court-imposed fines on violation tickets, and the amount of money a municipality receives is based on its contribution to total municipal policing costs.

Strategic Community Investment Fund: https://bit.ly/12Takf6 .

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