City of Kamloops gets $200K grant from insurance firm to help FireSmart homes

New FireSmart rebates

Photo: KTW File

The City of Kamloops has been selected to receive a $200,000 grant through Intact Financial Corporation's Municipal Climate Resiliency Grant program.

A major Canadian insurer will give the City of Kamloops $200,000 to help pay for work aimed at keeping local homes safe from fire.

In a news release, Intact Financial Corporation said it's giving a grant to the city to put toward wildfire preparedness programming. The cash is intended to help the city offer rebates of up to $1,000 so 175 homeowners can complete FireSmart mitigation work on their property.

Similar programs have proved popular in the past. Earlier this year, the city had to pause a FireSmart rebate program due to overwhelming uptake.

Intact is providing funding for 19 projects across Canada through its Municipal Climate Resiliency Grant program, chosen from more than 170 applicants.

“The City of Kamloops is happy to partner with Intact on efforts to reduce and prevent the impacts of wildfire on our community," said Ken Uzeloc, fire chief and director of protective services for the City of Kamloops.

The Kamloops project is expected to get underway in the spring.

For two years running, Kamloops has been labelled the Canadian city most at risk of wildfire. A recent study found that home insurance premiums in Kamloops have doubled over the last two years — the sharpest increase in Canada.