WHEREAS it is important to many British Columbians that our provinces history be preserved and protected to enable the public to understand the cultural, social and financial evolution of our province and to better appreciate and acknowledge the contribution of those who built the communities we live in that make British Columbia the place we now enjoy; AND WHEREAS the study and enjoyment of our heritage can be an important part of the economy of the province, particularly in small and rural communities in the interior who rely on tourist dollars to create jobs, sustain existing businesses and stimulate investment: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities request that the provincial government restore funding to the appropriate Ministries and local heritage organizations to enable them to preserve, protect and make available to the public, British Columbias history through museums, archives and heritage related facilities and programs to a degree sufficient to benefit all British Columbians.
MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY, ABORIGINAL AND WOMENS SERVICES While the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Womens Services has reduced its budget for heritage programs to enable the government to meet its fiscal targets, available funding has been focussed to enable the Province to meet its core heritage responsibilities and to build community capacity for planning and management of heritage. Major investments include: - Partnership with the Federal government and local governments to implement the national Historic Places Initiative in BC. Through a Federal-Provincial contribution agreement, and the assignment of staff expertise, substantial investments have been made to develop and improve community heritage registers, to establish the Canadian Register of Historic Places, to provide training and advisory services and support community heritage planning, and to work with local governments and developers to facilitate project applications to the new Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund. - An initial Provincial endowment of 5 million to establish the Heritage Legacy Fund of BC as a non-governmental source of funding for community heritage initiatives. This significant action was undertaken in collaboration with the Heritage Society of BC, The Land Conservancy of BC and the Vancouver Foundation. - Continuation of the financial contribution to the programs of the Heritage Society of BC to enable that organization to serve as the key province-wide non-profit society supporting community heritage activities. - One-time grants to the University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University to enable development of new educational and training initiatives in heritage conservation. - An investment of 5 million towards the maintenance and development of the Provincial heritage properties to facilitate the successful devolution to community management and a continuing commitment to significant operating assistance for the major sites.