The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen will provide a letter of support for Okanagan Regional Library ministerial meeting requests.
The regional library has requested for Union of B.C. Municipalities meetings with several provincial ministers.
These include meetings with the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs.
The library would like to address a 20 per cent increase in core provincial library grants, the establishment of a social wellbeing grant and the establishment of a climate relief grant.
The 20 per cent increase in core provincial library grants would be a proportional increase to the four provincial grants. Library staff say this is needed to enable libraries to meet growing community demands while relieving financial pressure on municipal governments.
The social wellbeing grant would provide dedicated funding for resources and training and would improve libraries’ abilities to align with and support provincial goals related to community wellbeing, housing stability and poverty reduction.
The climate relief grant would provide assistance, with many libraries operating as heating and cooling centres during extreme weather events.
The Okanagan Regional Library serves more than 399,000 people through 30 branches. It is the 16th largest library in Canada.
The regional district, serving communities and rural areas in the South Okanagan and Similkameen, covers an area of 10,413 square kilometres and serves a population of more than 90,000.
