Prince George- Peace River M.P. Jay Hill says all options are still on the table when it comes to coming up with ideas for projects to mitigate the impact of the mountain pine beetle infestation. “We are open to any and all ideas for a projects, but as I have said before, whatever projects are selected, they will have to stand up to public scrutiny, they have to be the type of projects which  taxpayers will see are a good investment of taxpayers’ dollars.”

The most recent idea came from a Kamloops Councilor who suggested the Federal Government offer tax breaks to those who have had to pay to have dead trees removed from their private property.  “We would be willing to see if that is something Finance Minister Flaherty would consider for the next budget” says Hill.

The Mayor of Kamloops was hoping to hear back from the Federal Minister of Natural Resources before the end of the week on possible emergency funding for local residents.

At the most  recent meeting of Prince George City Council, Mayor Colin Kinsley said  he and his counterparts from Kelowna and Kamloops  want  the Province and the Federal Government to see the Pine beetle infestation as a natural disaster, not unlike  an ice storm. 

The three civic leaders suggested  the bill to clear private property and reduce the risk of fire could top $70 million dollars.