British Columbia: Columbia Valley becomes first in Canada to adopt conservation fund tax

Invermere – The Columbia Valley has become first community in Canada
to adopt a comprehensive conservation fund tax. Despite the current
global financial crisis, the majority of voters from Canal Flats to
Spillimacheen said Yes! to paying about $20 per parcel of additional
property tax for a dedicated fund to support conservation projects in
the Valley. “Our natural systems are under a lot of stress and our
collective future depends on how we deal with this”, said Gerry
Wilkie, Electoral Area G Director for the Regional District of East
Kootenay, of which the Columbia Valley is a part.

The Columbia Valley
Local Conservation Fund represents an investment of over $2 million in
conservation projects over the nine-year term of the Fund. The Fund
was established through a service bylaw which ensures that the funds
can only be spent on conservation. “The purchasing power of all the
residents together enable modest contributions from each parcel to
have significant effects on the ground,” said Norm Walter, Chair of
the Regional District of East Kootenay.

The Regional District of East
Kootenay formally adopted Bylaw No. 2083 on Friday, December 12,
following a November 15 referendum in which fifty-four percent voted
in favour of the Fund’s establishment. The Fund was conceived and
championed by the East Kootenay Conservation Program (EKCP), a
partnership of 47 conservation, industry and government organizations
dedicated to conserving natural areas for Kootenay communities. “To
have a prosperous future in the Columbia Valley, we need to ensure
that we have a quality environment and this requires action by current
generations,” said Nancy Newhouse, program manager for the East
Kootenay Conservation Program. “The establishment of this Fund means
we can better conserve and protect many of the ecological treasures of
the Valley.”
Nancy Newhouse Program Manager, East Kootenay Conservation Program
250-342-3655

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