WHEREAS the local fire departments of smaller municipalities, that depend wholly on volunteers for providing fire protection services, are being faced with escalating demands for their involvement with onerous and difficult ambulance assists and accident callouts; AND WHEREAS this is proving not only financially burdensome to small municipalities which negatively impacts the ability of volunteer fire departments to provide efficient and good fire protection services for their residents; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province be petitioned to mandate that BC Ambulance Service and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia reimburse municipalities for services rendered on their behalf by volunteer or paid fire departments on the same basis as recoveries being currently made from BC Forest Services.
Ministry of Finance After the onset of the world financial crisis in 2008, provincial revenues deteriorated significantly and created a significant operating deficit after several years of budget surpluses. In Budget 2009 September Update, the Government presented a 5-year plan to return to a balanced budget by 201314. We are still following this plan, and it has meant making very difficult fiscal decisions. By restraining spending as we have, we are managing to keep income taxes among the lowest in Canada and have preserved our AAA credit rating, allowing us to pay lower interest rates on the funds we do borrow, which in turn help to hold the line on taxation. In Budget 2012, we projected a very modest 154 million surplus for 201314. On a budget of over 44 billion annually, this is a thin margin. With the current economic situation in Europe and elsewhere, achieving this target continues to be a challenge. As a result, at this time, Government is not considering any new reimbursement programs, but certainly recognizes the fiscal issues being faced by local governments. Therefore, we continue to encourage you to work with the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and other ministries as appropriate.