Whereas British Columbia highways are handling larger volumes of traffic much of which is travelling at higher than posted speeds, with vehicle crashes more serious and frequent in all parts of BC in all seasons; And whereas many small community volunteer fire departments and societies provide vital highway rescue services for crashes occurring on Provincial highways primarily at their own cost either by fundraising or by local community taxation or both; And whereas while Emergency Management BC reimburses highway rescue service providers for some of their costs, most small local governments and societies are paying 66 of the costs associated with the provision of this valuable service performed on Provincial highways, while the Province of BC funds 100 of other emergency services attending to vehicle crashes on Provincial Highways; And whereas the Province of BC has received resolutions for this very topic for several years, and to date, no equitable funding model has been developed to provide consistent, reliable and fair funding for this service provided on Provincial highways: Therefore be it resolved that the Province of BC seriously commit to the development and implementation of an equitable funding model that is fair for all parties, to ensure that this important service continues to be delivered for people travelling on Provincial highways, perhaps by way of a partnership between various Provincial authorities.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General The Province recognizes and appreciates the challenges that small municipalities and rural communities within regional districts face in delivering fire and rescue services. In 2017, the Province provided funding to the Fire Chiefs Association of BC FCABC to develop options for funding road rescue in BC. FCABC provided a report to Emergency Management BC EMBC and EMBC and the Office of the Fire Commissioner are undertaking an in-depth analysis of the report and are developing options for Government consideration. The Province recognizes and appreciates the invaluable life-saving service that career and volunteer fire departments, as well as dedicated road rescue societies, provide to motorists throughout BC and is committed to developing a sustainable, fair funding model. We are fortunate in British Columbia to have dedicated and skilled emergency responders who support public safety by responding to incidents on our highways.