District of Squamish created two casual Community Patrol Officer positions in the district last year due to COVID-19.
The positions were filled from existing casual employees.
“The job level of CPO is appropriate to being the “eyes and ears” and a visible presence of enforcement for physical distancing related issues, as well as other key issues such as trailhead management,” the district says.
These two positions are temporary and were created to help with increasing community pressure due to the pandemic.
The costs of these positions have been recovered through the funding the district received from the COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant.
The district received $3,760,000 from the province in COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant funding.
The funding will be used in part to recoup lost revenues and additional expenses incurred from 2020 as a result of COVID-19.
Increased janitorial services; additional staff and resources to manage virtual council meetings; extra IT staff; and improving library space are other areas where the district spent the grant.
The district is also planning to use the grant money to purchase parklets for temporary structures for public spaces this year.
Packaged, pre-built or modular structures will be places in parks, and a parks coordinator will be hired to implement and oversee the program.
The COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant funding supports local governments faced with increased operating costs and lower revenue due to COVID‐19.
It also ensures local governments continues to deliver services and recoup some lost revenues.
