The regional district has found a way to improve fire protection on Lasqueti Island without raising taxes.
The qathet Regional District’s (qRD) Finance Committee met on Tuesday and discussed the Island’s fire protection situation. Both of Lasqueti Island’s fire engines are more than 40 years old, and despite best efforts of volunteers to maintain them, they need to be replaced.
However, Area E Director Andrew Fall says there’s no appetite among Islanders to pay for new equipment with a tax increase.
“I heard many concerns about the ability to pay rising taxes, especially after the overall qRD tax increases for Lasqueti went up by over 23% last year, so people are really having a hard time with their taxes,” he said. “The Lasqueti Island Fire Department budget has increased by more than four-fold over the past decade from around $100,000 to over $400,000 now, so it’s really important to keep that in mind.”
The regional district agreed to reduce the fleet by one, and purchase a used engine with money from the Community Works Fund and the Island’s reserve funds for fire protection.
That still won’t bring the fire department in line with the recommendations of underwriters, but it will allow them to maintain fire protection while working towards future improvements.
Next year they will look at what it will take to upgrade the fire hall.
