Vancouver Island communities will be asked to lend their voices to advocate for increased funding for public libraries.
At a meeting Monday, Feb. 5, Nanaimo city council approved five resolutions for the upcoming Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities conference, including one that calls on the province to increase core funding for public libraries to help them B次元官网网址渆xpand and evolve their programmingB次元官网网址� in the face of rising demand for library services.
Vancouver Island Regional LibraryB次元官网网址檚 board recently approved a 15-per cent budget increase in 2024, which means higher library taxes to be collected by municipalities and regional districts.
According to the resolution approved by Nanaimo council, core funding for public libraries in B.C. hasnB次元官网网址檛 changed since 2009, but operational requirements of libraries and the resources to provide those have been stretched as they increasingly provide front-line community services to support patrons suffering mental health, addiction and housing issues. Libraries also provide refuge during extreme weather events.
The resolution, to be put forward this spring at the AVICC annual general meeting and convention in Victoria, asks the provincial government to recognize public librariesB次元官网网址� challenges and their role as community spaces and raise core funding to $30 million annually in keeping with the request made by the B.C. Public Library Partners and the recommendation of the provinceB次元官网网址檚 select standing committee on finance and government services. The resolution asks that the funding be increased annually to keep up with the cost of living and inflation.
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Council voted unanimously to support the resolution along with four others regarding investment in complex care beds, mental health liaison officers, establishment of a provincial housing coordinator, and variances to the B.C. building and fire codes to help keep emergency shelters open.
Sheila Gurrie, the cityB次元官网网址檚 director of legislative services, told council members at a governance and priorities meeting last month that resolutions endorsed at the AVICC will be forwarded to the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention for consideration and debate. The UBCM convention happens in Vancouver at the end of the summer.
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