Smile When You Pay That Fine!

TRAFFIC FINE TRANSFER
CONTINUES TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES

The Province is returning more than $61 million in traffic fine revenue to local governments, helping municipalities to enhance their policing and community-based public safety programs, Community Services Minister Ida Chong announced.

“Since we expanded this program in 2004 to give local governments 100 per cent of traffic fine revenue, we’ve seen how these funds have been used in a variety of innovative and effective ways to help make our communities safer, better places to live,” said Chong. “Over $210 million in additional funding has now gone to British Columbia municipalities to hire more officers and invest in local projects, ranging from youth outreach and drug awareness programs to traffic safety.”

The traffic fine revenue sharing program assists municipalities that directly pay police enforcement costs. The grants come from ticket fines and court-imposed fines on violation tickets, and the amount of money a municipality receives is based on its contribution to total municipal policing costs.

“Residents are more secure in their homes and on the streets of their towns, thanks to the expansion of this program, which has seen municipalities hire 560 new police officers since 2003,” said John van Dongen, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “We’re pleased to continue to provide local governments with the resources necessary to improve policing, prevent crime and build safer neighbourhoods and communities.”

Prior to its expansion in 2004, qualifying municipalities received $10 million per year. Since its expansion in 2004, B.C.’s Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing program has provided an additional $210 million to local governments to improve public safety and policing – for a total of over $250 million.