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UBCM Joins BC Chamber of Commerce in Demand for Equitable Police Funding
Vancouver, September 25, 2008 – The Union of British Columbia Municipalities joined the BC Chamber of Commerce today in calling on the Provincial and Federal Government to address the issue of equitable police funding in the province.
“Currently, there are 11 large municipalities who employ their own police force,” says John Winter, President & CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. “Under the current policing agreement, these municipalities, representing 28% of the population of BC, fund their police forces independently, without any support from higher levels of government.”
In municipalities who contract their police forces through the RCMP, the Provincial and Federal Governments in partnership provide 10 or 30% of the costs, depending on population size. In those municipalities where no Provincial or Federal Government support is provided, policing costs constitute the single largest annual cost to the taxpayer.
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense that Provincial and Federal revenues continue to increase, while municipal governments resort to higher and higher property taxes, much of which falls onto the shoulders of business owners, just to keep up with the cost of keeping people safe,” Winter points out. “Whether or not a municipality chooses to contract with the RCMP, it seems to us that the Provincial and Federal governments should share some responsibility in this area, regardless.”
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For more information contact:
John Winter
President and CEO
BC Chamber of Commerce
D 604.638.8110
C 604.376.3577
E jwinter@bcchamber.org