Some elements of federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's 2014 budget have a decidedly Sea to Sky Corridor flavour, local MP John Weston said last week.
Among the initiatives either expanded upon or newly created the budget, presented last Tuesday (Feb. 11), are the expansion of the Recreational Fisheries Partnership Program (RFPP) and new programs aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse and rewarding search-and-rescue volunteers with a special tax credit, Weston said on Friday (Feb. 14).
The government created the RFPP which aims to help non-profit groups partner with federal officials on watershed and marine conservation habitat enhancement projects with $10 million in the 2013 budget. This year, Flaherty at the urging of Weston and other MPs expanded the program with 15 million new dollars over the next two years.
Weston said local groups such as the Sea to Sky Fisheries Roundtable and the Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS) have helped ensure the long-term health of local fisheries through advocacy and habitat enhancement work.
The SRWS, in fact, was one of two local groups to have received some of the $118,804 allocated through the program for Squamish-based projects last year. The money was used to restore fish habitat on Tiampo Channel, a side channel of the Mamquam River, and on Evans Creek, a tributary of the Cheakamus River.
At least two other applications for similar projects have already been received this year, Weston saoid.
There are no more enthusiastic fisheries groups than the ones that have been active in our riding, said Weston, adding that because of that local support, he is among the MPs who have lobbied for the RFPP's creation and expansion.
Now, we have an extension of the program which entices and acknowledges volunteers for the great habitat restoration work that we do. I think this is a great B.C.-based program that reflects our concern for fisheries and habitat.
In a statement, the B.C. Wildlife Federation agreed, saying the RFPP encourages collaboration among community groups, First Nations, industry and local governments in protecting and enhancing fish habitat.
They [BCWF] see the benefit for people who consider angling as part of their British Columbia way of life, Weston said.
Flaherty's budget also allocates some $44 million to combat prescription drug abuse in Canada. Weston, one of the sponsors of a 2013 private members' bill to create a national prescription drug drop-off day, said Sea to Sky Corridor policing agencies and health-care professionals have helped lead the way in the fight against the abuse of opioids such as OxyContin. Such drugs can have positive effects when used properly but are often abused, leading to addiction and harmful side effects.
During the first, unofficial national prescription drug drop-off day last May, more than two tonnes of unwanted prescription drugs were collected and properly disposed of, Weston said. A similar event is being proposed this May.
I've gotten together with pharmacists and doctors who have strongly supported the concept of disposal of unwanted prescription drugs, Weston said. I think this will become part of the government's policy and not necessarily have to become a statute.
Search and rescue volunteers on the North Shore and in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton will benefit from the new search and rescue volunteers tax credit, Weston said. Available to those who perform at least 200 hours of service during a year, it offers a 15 per cent tax credit on $3,000 of income for ground, air and marine search and rescue volunteers.
If there's anything that reflects the heart and soul of our riding, it's people who put themselves forward to help those who get lost in the mountains, Weston said.
Volunteer rescuers often put family and job commitments on hold to help others and deserve to be rewarded, he said.
They make it possible for you and me to go out and enjoy the backcountry, Weston said.
