A recent report released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business ranked Lake Cowichan as the ‘best municipality in BC.’
The report analyzed municipal spending data from 2000-2012 from 151 BC municipalities based on operating spending and most recent spending levels per capita. Lake Cowichan ranked first out of 151.
According to the report, “Lake Cowichan is the best ranked municipality in BC, up from fourth place last year. The municipality has a 2012 per capita operating spending of $945 and is one of the few BC municipalities to have decreased its 2000 to 2012 real operating spending per capita, reducing it by three per cent.”
The study analyzed the results from 2000-2012, which spanned a number of town councils and town staff.
Other key findings of the CFIB study mention that only “eight of 151 municipalities in BC have kept operating spending in line with inflation and population growth over the past 12 years. No large municipalities (population of 25,000 and over) made the list.”
According to the report, Vancouver Island as a whole had the highest operating spending growth over the past 12 years of all regions on the study.
Town representatives say this is something that is positive news for everyone in Lake Cowichan and something that everyone should share in being proud of the for the community as a whole.
The full BC Municipal Spending Watch 2014, which details spending of municipalities around BC, can be found at cfib-fcei.ca.