Dear Community Member,
I’m very pleased to be able to share that our BC Government has just announced the single largest provincial investment into Ground Search and Rescue services in BC’s history.
In addition to the operational funding that the BC Search and Rescue Association (BC SARA) already receives, amounting to approximately $9 million per year (based on 2017-18 numbers), the BC Government will also be providing an additional $18.6 million to put towards training and equipment over the next three years.
We are also finalizing the details on a sustainable model so that this kind of important funding can continue long term into the future.
Read more about the announcement here.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me about their support for the work that BC Search and Rescue Groups like North Shore Rescue do for our province. Your engagements with me help me in my work as your MLA.
In your service,
Bowinn Ma
Original statement from Feb 25, 2019 below
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Dear Community Member,
SAR groups and their volunteers risk life and limb to serve the public, saving lives. North Shore residents are proud of North Shore Rescue and grateful for the critical work they do.
SAR groups in BC have been and will continue to be reimbursed for all the expenses of a rescue. However, stable funding would support SAR groups in providing robust educational programs for their volunteers and the public as well as purchase new equipment.
A recent pilot providing $5M annually to BC SARA for three years to cover association expenses, training and education, and the costs of purchasing equipment has demonstrated how impactful such funding can be. I believe in the importance of this funding and am working closely with the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness on this issue.
As a local MLA, it is my job to ensure the needs of our community are known to government and I work hard to land investments here on the North Shore. There have been many successes for North Vancouver. Hundreds of units of affordable housing, a new transportation plan, transportation infrastructure and service improvements underway, hundreds of new child care spaces, new and upgraded schools, stable funding for long-neglected services, a new hospital on its way, and more.
Our government has been able to make substantial progress on many previously neglected files in the short time we have been in government (19 months). However, many important issues do remain and the development of a sustainable funding model for BC SARA is one such area where our government’s work to support the services that people rely on continues, as does my work as your local MLA.
The Minister and Parliamentary Secretary are committed to ensuring the ongoing success of SAR groups around the province, including right here in North Vancouver. The passion that you lend to this issue bolsters my work as your MLA and I am deeply grateful for everyone who has added their voice to this important issue.
In your service,
Bowinn Ma