Ongoing Provincial Funding for Municipal West Nile Virus Plan

WHEREAS the coordinated provincial West Nile Virus strategy delegates to local governments, as land owners, the responsibility for the management of mosquito populations on their lands; AND WHEREAS to date, provincial funding to local government in support of West Nile Virus control initiatives has been limited to one-time grants for the 2004 mosquito season: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities expresses deep concern about the ongoing costs to local government to adequately address the West Nile Virus risk and requests that the Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Womens Services provides an annual provincial West Nile Virus prevention funding program to offset local government West Nile Virus program costs in 2005 and beyond.