Local government treaty committees take a cut
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Updated: October 28, 2009 5:34 PM
Black Press – Local government treaty advisory committees have taken a cut along with many other non-core services in the provincial government, says Aboriginal Relations Minister George Abbott.
After meeting with councillors at the recent Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, Abbott says the 17 committees around the province are getting $5,000 to fund their activities this year. Councillors are paid extra to work with aboriginal communities on local concerns such as sewer and road services.
Abbott’s predecessor Mike de Jong told the four Lower Mainland committees early this year they would have $45,000 between them, but that’s been cut to $20,000 and is consistent province-wide, Abbott said.
The budget for the committees has gone up and down over the years, and the latest decision does not reflect a reduced role for them, Abbott said.
“We live in a kind of harsh world where all of the streams of revenue that underwrite programs have dried up, so we did our best to fund them,” he said.
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