Burnaby received $1.88 million from shared traffic fine revenue with the province, and put all the money towards the city’s policing costs, according to a recent city staff report.
The money came via the traffic fine revenue sharing grant, which was part of the strategic community investment fund program. The ministry of community, sport and cultural development’s program ended in 2014.
The city will receive funding through an unconditional grant from the provincial ministry for 2015, according to the report, in two installments totalling $2.72 million.
Building permits climb
The number of building permits granted in the city is rising steadily in 2015.
As of May 31, the city had issued 725 building permits this year. That number easily passes last year’s permit total by the end of May – 176 – and the 663 permits issued by May 2013. It also comes close to the 780 permits granted by May of 2012.
Of the 725 permits issued, 197 were for commercial buildings (185 of those were for alterations or repairs), 177 were for single-family homes (131 of those were for new builds), and 185 were for demolitions.
There were also 51 permits for multi-family buildings, with 39 of those for alterations or repairs. As of May 31, there were 131 new single-family dwelling units built in the city, 46 duplexes, 42 strata units in buildings up to four storeys and 158 strata units in buildings higher than four storeys.
Rivers Day celebration set
The schedule for World Rivers Day at the Burnaby Village Museum has been approved by council.
The event is planned for 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27. Activities include a riparian planting demonstration at Deer Lake Brook, screenings of shorts from the BCIT Rivers Institute at Stride Studios, a large photo map of where salmon spawn and a children’s parade with The Nylon Zoo.
There will also be children’s musicians and environmental exhibitors in the village, according to a city staff report.
Council also approved spending of $4,000 from the boards, committees and commissions operating budget for advertising, promotion and programming. The total funding for the celebration is $12,600, with $2,000 coming from the planning department’s operating budget, $5,100 from the museum’s operating budget and $1,500 from world-renowned conservationist Mark Angelo, the report stated.
