By Chad Klassen

Wildlife Park to ask for more grants with minimum wage, tax increases

Mar 14, 2018 | 4:10 PM

KAMLOOPS — The B.C. Wildlife Park can be counted as another non-profit organization that is considering possible service cuts with minimum wage increases and the employer health tax.

General manager Glenn Grant has sent a letter to Finance Minister Carole James, outlining how much these two initiatives will hurt the wildlife park’s bottom line. Grant said it will cost $68,000 this year, but once the employer health tax begins in 2019 and the minimum wage hits $15 an hour, it means a $200,000 hit to the park. 

“I made reference in the letter to perhaps reduce some of the services and programs that we provide,” said Grant. “Nothing to do with the educational programs that we have going on because that’s always going to be there. I’m talking about reducing what we do with the Burrowing Owl Breeding program and also what we do with our rehabilitation service.”

Those two programs costs the wildlife park about $130,000 combined, said Grant, who also requested a face-to-face meeting with James to discuss the park’s concerns. Grant is resigned to the fact the employer health tax and minimum wage initiative are going ahead, but hopes the provincial government will step up with more grant money to help keep important programs going.

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“The goal of the meeting is to look for options for additional funding. This stuff is already in place. It’s not going to change. We don’t intend it to change, but what we’re looking for is ways to offset the extra costs that we’re going to incur,” said Grant. “So if the province can help us with some operating funds for the programs we’re providing to deal with some of the wildlife concerns that are out there, then that would be great.”

Grant also indicated the park may have to increase its rates for the public, but that may deter people from coming and take away from the educational purpose of the park.