WHEREAS transportation corridors are vital to the transportation of goods and people throughout the province; AND WHEREAS some corridors are being abandoned, especially some rail corridors; AND WHEREAS these abandoned transportation corridors can become vital and valuable corridors for recreational uses such as hiking, cycling, skiing and snowshoeing; AND WHEREAS these corridors should be open to all residents of BC: Therefore be it resolved that the provincial government facilitate public acquisition and ownership of abandoned transportation corridors; And be it further resolved that the Province work with UBCM to develop a funding mechanismfor example, a province-wide parcel tax similar to the Municipal Finance Authority taxto assist governments or community groups to purchase and maintain abandoned transportation corridors for public recreational use.
Ministry of Community, Sport Cultural Development Local governments already possess a broad array of financial tools to acquire land for parks and recreation, including: property tax, development cost charges, parkland acquisition fees, reserve funds, borrowing, leasing, and partnering agreements. A province-wide property tax is only imposed to support operational and capital costs associated with province-wide services and organizations like the Municipal Finance Authority and British Columbia Assessment. Acquiring local and regional parkland is not a province-wide service. The appropriate funding mechanism for parks lies within each local governments authority to budget, plan, tax, borrow, and enter into agreements. The Province congratulates the local governments in the Okanagan for creating an Inter Jurisdictional Acquisition Team that facilitated the recent acquisition of the decommissioned rail corridor from CN Rail for development of recreational amenities. The Province supports this process and the positive outcome for the communities involved.