Province to invest $50M to mitigate wildfire risks Sep 10, 2018 4:09 PM

WHISTLER, B.C. — The provincial government is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to protecting B.C. communities from the risk of wildfires.

Today at the UBCM conference in Whistler, Forests Minister Doug Donaldson announced the new Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) program, which will provide up to $50 million over the next three years to local governments and First Nations.

According to the province, the CRI “takes a holistic approach to wildfire risk reduction and fuel management treatments, and will consider fire prevention activities on provincial Crown land and private land, in addition to local government and reserve land.”

The program allows communities to apply for funding to cover up to 100 per cent of their wildfire risk reduction projects, as opposed to the previous cost-sharing requirements. The types of activities eligible for funding have also been expanded to include more activities covered by the FireSmart program’s seven disciplines.