The City of Penticton is receiving a sizeable chunk of cash from the Ministry of Citizens’ Services as a grant-in-lieu of property taxes.

According to a release, every November the province “pays grants in lieu of property taxes to municipalities and regional districts for services they provide in their communities, such as parks, sewers, roads and fire protection. The grants are for properties owned by the provincial government, such as office buildings, warehouses and courthouses.”

This year, Penticton will receive $96,545 which will be used to “fund and maintain priority public services and local infrastructure projects.”

READ MORE: Penticton’s OSNS benefits from $10,000 RBC grant

“We’re proud to support the important work local governments do every day to create jobs, strengthen our local economies and deliver the services British Columbians rely on,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Minister of Citizens’ Services, in the release. “These annual grants play a critical role in helping local governments with planning – they use the funding to provide vital services and infrastructure that help improve people’s lives.”

In total, 54 communities will receive grants through this initiative, totalling more than $16 million. The initiative was kickstarted in 1963 in recognition of the B.C. government’s “responsibility to compensate municipalities for local services that benefit provincially-owned properties” since the province is exempt from paying taxes to municipal governments under the federal Constitution Act.

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