Whereas regional districts must fully allocate COVID-19 safe restart grant for local governments funds to an appropriate regional and local service before December 31, 2021, but municipalities do not have the same allocation deadline requirement; And whereas regional districts would like the discretion to hold back some COVID-19 safe restart grant for local governments funding for allocation to an appropriate regional or local service in a future year: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province provide regional districts the same COVID-19 safe restart grant for local governments allocation and reporting requirements afforded to municipalities.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs The allocation deadline of December 31, 2021 for regional districts recognized the difference between municipalities and regional districts in their structures and provision of services. Regional districts provide a mix of regional, sub-regional, and local services comprising various service partners i.e. any combination of municipalities andor electoral areas. Regional district services operate independently of one another, including the legal restriction that services cannot cross-subsidize one another. As a result, it is important to know how the regional district board is allocating the COVID Safe Restart Funds to individual services before that money can be legally spent. This model of reporting regional allocations has been used for other provincial funding programs like the Northern Capital and Planning Grant. The COVID Safe Restart Funds were provided to municipalities and regional districts in November 2020, with additional funds to regional districts in March 2021; that provided significant time to analyze and allocate the funds according to local and regional priorities prior to the allocation deadline of December 31, 2021.