Supporting our Community through the COVID-19 Pandemic
In spring 2020, the City of Coquitlam launched the COVID-19 Community Support and Recovery Plan (CSRP) to foster community resilience and recovery by providing direct relief to residents, businesses, not-for-profit groups and other organizations.
The CSRP was developed as an umbrella plan that enabled the City to provide support at the local level, and in tandem with supports provided by other orders of government. The plan also recognized that not all community members who need help or provide value are property owners. The multi-phased framework supported all sectors of the community with projects and initiatives within the jurisdiction of local government.
Coquitlam Council allocated an initial $5-million from reserve funds to launch the plan in anticipation of emerging needs and opportunities.
To promote economic recovery, the City sought federal and provincial stimulus funding for City capital projects to provide jobs and promote economic recovery. The provincial BC Safe Restart Grant supported CSRP initiatives through $1.7 million in funding. The CSRP’s assessment framework helped direct funding to feasible activities complementary to the measures of other jurisdictions.
The program has concluded with a total service value of $3.9 million. The remaining unspent CSRP funding allocation was returned to the City Initiatives Reserve.
In the fall of 2021, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) recognized the effectiveness of the CSRP in responding to community needs during the pandemic by awarding the program the Presidents Committee Choice Award.
Read the staff reports:
CSRP Initiatives
A range of supports was rolled out through the CSRP’s implementation (see tabs below). View this framework (PDF) for an overview of supports that were considered through the program.