VANCOUVER ISLAND — With the dry season in full swing, and the threat of wildfires ever present, Lake Cowichan’s mayor is pleased the town’s application for a $400,000 FireSmart grant from the Union of B.C. Municipalities has been successful. Tim McGonigle said Lake Cowichan is closely surrounded by forests so the town initiated a FireSmart program a few years ago. He said the $400,000 in funding for the town’s Community Resiliency Project – Phase 1 from the UBCM’s 2024 FireSmart Community Funding program will be used, in part, to hire a person to oversee Lake Cowichan’s ongoing FireSmart program on a two-year contract. …McGonigle said the town has been undertaking remediation projects in its neighbourhoods for several years, largely funded through grants from the UBCM’s FireSmart program, and the plan is to expand the town’s program with the latest grant.