West Kelowna fears it’s being shortchanged on policing costs

Taxpayers around B.C. should pay more toward policing in West Kelowna, city councillors believe.

Municipal officials suspect the provincial government isn’t paying as much toward policing in the community as an established cost-sharing formula prescribes.

Attorney General David Eby says a report on the financing of policing in West Kelowna is in the works, but in a letter to council he gave no suggestion when the report would be completed.

“What I suspect this report will show is that the municipality of West Kelowna is subsidizing the provincial share, and that means the taxpayers of West Kelowna are paying taxes that should be paid by all of B.C.,” city administrator Jim Zaffino said at Tuesday’s meeting.

At the suggestion of Coun. Rick de Jong, the city will send another letter to Eby asking for a specific date on the report’s expected completion, “beyond just ‘in the near future.’”

West Kelowna city councillors have long suspected that policing tax dollars raised in their community are being used, at least in part, to provide policing in Peachland and rural areas outside the municipality’s boundaries.