The Cowichan Valley Regional District will receive a hefty $6 million in federal funding to expand the region’s organic-waste collection programs and to modernize the Bings Creek Solid Waste Management Centre on Drinkwater Road.
That’s on top of the $1.9 million the CVRD will receive from the province’s CleanBC Organic Infrastructure and Collection Program that was recently announced to help fund residential organics collection in its nine rural electoral areas.
The federal funding is part of $103.5 million the federal government announced on April 17 through the Canada Community-Building Fund, formerly known as the federal Gas Tax Fund, that will help support 45 community infrastructure projects across the province.
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Ilse Sarady, the CVRD’s manager of recycling and waste management, said some of the funding will go towards the expansion of the existing recycling building at the Bings Creek centre.
She said the building is currently too small to host the growing number of recycling programs that require dry storage.
“The grant will also allow for the construction of a new organics-transfer building that will be used to consolidate organic-waste material from current and future municipal, First Nation and electoral area curbside collection programs,” Sarady said.
“Ensuring that there is sufficient capacity to manage organic waste materials is an important step in modernizing the Municipality of North Cowichan’s curbside program, and also provides electoral area residents with organics curbside service.”
Sarady said the electoral area curbside organics service is expected to roll out in 2025 and is one of several steps that will be taken to support the diversion of organics waste from landfills.
She said that when the three-stream curbside project is completed, the CVRD will be working with other jurisdictions to make sure that multi-family residences, institutions and businesses have similar waste-diversion opportunities.
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“For some time now, all Cowichan Valley municipalities, some of the regional First Nations and many semi-rural regional districts have provided their residents with the convenience of three-stream curbside collection (garbage, recycling and organic material),” said Sarady.
“The CVRD is working to make sure that all our residents in the electoral areas also receive access to this service.”
Public consultation on electoral area curbside collection service begins on April 24.
The Canada Community-Building Fund is a permanent source of funding provided twice a year to provinces and territories, who in turn deliver this funding to local governments for local infrastructure priorities.
In B.C., the CCBF is administered by the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
Other projects to receive funding from this stream of the CCBF include new fire halls, water and wastewater treatment plant upgrades, airport expansions, and bridge and road upgrades.
“As British Columbia continues to grow and welcome newcomers, communities face increasing demands for services and infrastructure,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Municipal Affairs.
“This is why our government is supporting projects like road development and wastewater management. We’re ensuring that British Columbians have access to these essential services and amenities that they can rely on within their communities.”
Jen Ford, president of the Union of BC Municipalities, added that B.C. communities are expanding services to meet the needs of a growing population.
“The federal government is to be commended for the continuing renewal of local infrastructure through the Canada Community-Building Fund,” she said.
“This program has delivered over $4.6 billion to thousands of projects across B.C.”
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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