You can tell an election is only a few months away as the B.C. Liberal government called a surprise press conference to announce a tax break for BC Search and Rescue volunteers. The province of B.C. announced a new tax credit for the more than 7,000 volunteers who save lives across B.C. on Saturday.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Naomi Yamamoto says the credit will reduce the taxable income for volunteer firefighters and search and rescue crews and will translate into a benefit of up to $151 a year, which combined with an existing federal tax credit, will amount to about $600 for volunteers. "Its not going to pay for thousands of dollars worth of gear but it is a recognition of service." Colin Wiebe, President of BC Search and Rescue knows first hand how demanding this volunteer work can be, "we do more search and rescue calls in the province of B.C. than the rest of Canada combined." Doug Pope with North Shore Rescue hopes the government will eventually come through with long term sustainable funding. "Right now we still don't have enough money to keep ourselves going on a yearly secure basis." BC Search and Rescue volunteers are still pushing for a professional rescue force