WHEREAS the majority of funds available under the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Program have been used for mitigation work related to the pine beetle infestation in the BC interior; AND WHEREAS there are insufficient funds remaining to allow coastal communities to assess, prioritize and abate wildland interface hazards in a similar fashion: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM request the Province to continue to provide funding of the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Program.
Ministry of Finance In 2004 the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Program was implemented with the UBCM, the First Nations Emergency Services Society FNESS and the Ministry of Forests, Mines and Lands. The Strategic Wildfire Prevention Program is an effective cooperative partnership between government and communities to achieve the common goal of community wildfire protection and wildfire suppression cost reduction. Funding for community wildfire protection has been allocated and dispersed cooperatively by the UBCM to communities based upon a clear set of criteria and deliverables. Government is currently reviewing the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Program.