…but nary a drop of community water for Scotch Creek.

Yes, it seems our application for a grant to help with the building of a Scotch Creek community water system has been denied. We were hoping to get 73% of the cost from a federal infrastructure grant. But that is not to be. It’ll likely be a few years before that generous a funding opportunity comes up again. (My cynical side suggests a year before the next federal election..?)

So, what does that mean for Scotch Creek. In the short term it means the status quo. No subdivision of any lots, no enhanced business opportunities, dare I say stagnation. It’s quite disappointing really. Of course, there was no guaranty of the water system happening even with the grant. Local approval via a referendum (what no AAP for this?) would have needed 50%+1 approval to go ahead. But I think we would have got that.

I’ll be checking with the staff at the CSRD and Interior Health to see what next steps are but as far as I know right now, we wait until the next round of grants to be announced, and try again. Better luck next time eh!!

Here’s the letter we received with the news.