Premier and Bennett Open William R. Bennett Bridge
Premier Gordon Campbell and former premier William (Bill) R. Bennett officially opened the new William R. Bennett bridge over Okanagan Lake, almost 50 years after Princess Margaret and Premier W.A.C. Bennett opened the Okanagan Lake Bridge in 1958.
- The $144.5 million bridge opened to westbound traffic at midnight on May 25, 108 days ahead of the original scheduled opening in September 2008.
- The corridor is the busiest in B.C. outside the Lower Mainland, accommodating an average of over 50,000 vehicles per day, and that figure is predicted to grow to close to 70,000 by 2017.
- The B.C. Government will save more than $25 million in construction, financing, maintenance and rehabilitation costs over the next 30 years as a result of the 30-year contract the Province signed with SNC-Lavalin Inc. to design, build, finance and operate the bridge.
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Grants Help Local Governments Provide Services
The Province is providing a record $47 million in small community and regional district grants this year to local governments across B.C., Community Services Minister Ida Chong announced this week.
The unconditional grants are: - Small Community Grants: Almost $43.5 million for small and medium-sized municipalities to fund local and basic services.
- Regional District Grants: More than $3.7 million to 28 regional districts, including B.C.’s two newest regional districts, Comox Valley ($136,000) and Strathcona ($162,000), which came into being Feb. 15, 2008.
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$2.7 Million to Strengthen Victim Services Across B.C.
Front-line services to crime victims across B.C. will receive an average funding increase of 22 per cent this year, as the Province injects $2.7 million more into victim services programs. Overall provincial funding for B.C.’s 156 police- and community-based victim service programs will rise to $12.6 million. All existing programs will share in the extra funding to address their service pressures and to enhance their services.
Highlights of the new funding include: - It will be balanced between police- and community-based victim service programs ($1.4 million and $1.3 million).
- Police-based services in three of B.C.’s largest urban centres will receive the full benefit of the funding formula based on their populations.
- In recognition of growth in service-delivery costs since 2002, funding per full-time-equivalent position (FTE) will rise to $70,000 from $60,000 for all programs.
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