When the Federal Government removed the Western Grain Transportation Assistance Act (Crow Rate) for grain exports, the BC portion of the transition funds ($532,000) were allocated to the BC Grain Industry Development Council by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in 1997. The Western Grain Transportation Adjustment (WGTA) funds were intended to support the grain industry development in the BC Peace. The grant funding was directed towards agri–research and development initiatives in support of crop diversification in British Columbia until 2018.
At the Council regular business meeting on November 15, 2018, the following motion was carried:
“to eliminate the fund designation of Western Grain Transportation (WGTA) and include the funds in [Council’s] regular GIDC financials including interest earned from the building mortgage: Seconded – CARRIED”
The rationale behind the consolidation is that WGTA interests align with the Council priorities therefore, bookkeeping and accounting is simplified with this action. As of September 28, 2018, $34,406.51 was remaining in the WGTA investment account.
