Invermere-area First Nation community receives $13K for road safety project

The Shuswap Band has received new project funding this year as the province marks five years of supporting road safety in B.C.

The Vision Zero Grant program has funded nearly 240 projects since it began in 2021.

This latest round of grants saw 33 projects supported, with $13,000 allocated to the Shuswap Band for new speed bumps.

“The Vision Zero Grant Program is about supporting communities to create safer streets and prevent injuries before they happen,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. 

“Over the past five years, we’ve seen the impact of local, community-driven solutions making a real difference, especially in Indigenous, rural and remote communities.”

The community received its first Vision Zero funding in 2024 for a crosswalk project. Other East Kootenay communities to accept the grant over the past five years are as follows:

• 2025/26 $20,000 for the Safer School Zone project at École Isabella Dicken Elementary School 
• 2024/25 $7,121 for the Rotary Drive Pedestrian Safety Improvement project in Kimberley, as well as $9,870 for SD5’s School Zone Traffic Safety Enhancement project
• 2023/24 $12,000 for the Gerry Sorensen Way Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project in Kimberley
• 2022/23 $20,000 for the “Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it First Nation’s Increasing Community Safety and Visibility project in Tobacco Plains

A total of more than $3.8 million has been committed to the program so far.

“Investing in walking and cycling not only promotes healthy and better-connected communities, but also keeps our streets safe,” said Mike Farnworth, minister of transportation and transit.