Heloise Dixon-Warren, Director Electoral Area B Cariboo Regional District

Email: hdixon-warren@cariboord.bc.ca BLOG: http://heloisedixon-warren.blogspot.ca

Electoral Area B Grants for Assistance received by Cariboo Regional District, with no further action, whereas $75,000+ is approved for the South Cariboo on the same day!
December 1, 2013 Pre-Amble On November 29, 2013 the Cariboo Regional District / CRD Board of Directors held a Finance / Budget Committee Meeting in Williams Lake. Section 2.1 of the Agenda was titled Referred Item from North Cariboo Rural Directors Caucus Grant for Assistance Applications (https://caribooregionaldistrict.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=27921) which included links to all 5 Grants for Assistance Applications received by the CRD requesting support for Electoral Area B Grants for Assistance Funds. All 5 grants received by the CRD requesting financial support via the Electoral Area B Grants for Assistance Funds were received by the board with no further action. This is the equivalent to the grants being denied at this point in time. This decision of the committee will be considered for endorsement at the Cariboo th Regional District meeting on December 13 . Neither at the Northern Caucus (Directors A, B, C and I) nor CRD Board level was there a discussion on the merits of each of the individual applications received although all Directors had received a copy of each Application and a copy of the Minutes from the Area B Grants for Assistance Resident Review Committee dated November 23, 2013 (attached). Following the motion to receive the Electoral Area B Applications for Grants for Assistance, a value of $75,900 was approved for Grants in the South Cariboo by the CRD. This motion included the Cariboo Regional District Board waiving policy regarding the deadline for submissions to the Grant for Assistance program so that the applications listed as late also are received. Based upon a more detailed review of these grants, these requests were not limited to special projects and capital costs which would be as per policy. Some groups have received funding from the CRD for multiple years and are using the funds for operational costs. I see value in all these applications and would support them again. Section 2.4 of the meeting agenda shows the South Cariboo grants (https://caribooregionaldistrict.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=27921 ). The approach taken by the Cariboo Regional District Board of Directors in approving versus not approving Grants for Assistance appears flawed and is most certainly not consistent in its application. By not approving these grants, the Cariboo Regional District is doing a disservice to the residents of Electoral Area B; particularly those engaged residents who took the time to meet, review the applications, and make recommendations as to which of the grants should receive funds. The CRD supporting these grants has no bearing and / or effect on other Electoral Areas or the member municipalities; hence, what is the rationale behind other individual directors not supporting these grants. Last year, the Cariboo Regional District approved, with a minimal amount of discussion, a $5000 Grant for Assistance to be provided to Skyfest 2013 with Electoral Area B funds. The demonstrated benefit to Area B taxpayers was complimentary tickets provided for the Meet & Greet and VIP Event (which were distributed to Area B residents through a draw) and participation of Skyfest in the National Volunteer Events held at Parkland Community Centre (10 Mile Lake). For the latter, Skyfest had an aerobatic pilot fly over during the event and do some stunts. Compared to other functions residents are taxed for in Electoral Area B, the tax rate for Grants for Assistance is low. The effect on taxation to provide the $5000 grant to Skyfest was $0.77 / $100,000 of residential

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assessed value of land and improvements. The other benefit of these grants is that the funds go directly to the project with no monies allocated to administration. The grants are a great way for local government to provide assistance to organisations that provide a service to our community based upon the merit of each application. Each year, the CRD requests that eligible groups apply for funds and this takes time and effort on behalf of volunteer groups. These groups work hard for the citizens of our communities to provide a specific service and the very least the CRD can do is provide them with a proper process that is consistent. Applications should be approved that meet the applications and if policy is going to be waived, it should be done for all. I am extremely disappointed with the outcome of the boards decision and I will be requesting that this issue be brought back to the board for reconsideration. I will be requesting that the Grants be approved as per the recommendations of the Area B Resident Review Committee. The meeting on November 29, 2013 was to provide approval of the preliminary budget for 2014. This budget will not be formally adopted until the end of March, 2014; hence, there is an opportunity to have this issue brought back to the CRD Board of Directors to address again. Summary on Proposed Electoral Area B 2014 Grants for Assistance Process Every year from August 1 to September 3th, the Cariboo Regional District accepts Applications for Assistance under Section 176(1)(c) of the Local Government Act must be received by the Cariboo Regional District Office in Williams Lake between August 1st and September 30th of the year prior to the budget from which funds are being requested. Section B. 1 of the 2013 Grants for Assistance Application Electoral Areas B, J and K (available online at http://www.cariboord.bc.ca/Services/Finance/GrantsforAssistance.aspx ) states the following: The Cariboo Regional District Board wishes to provide assistance under the provisions of the Local Government Act, to those applicants who provide a demonstrated benefit to the community and have a demonstrated need for assistance. The application further outlines the factors that shall be used in evaluating and prioritising an application. They are as follows: i) Purpose for which the funding is required. ii) Whether or not all other funding opportunities, i.e. fund raising, grants from senior levels of government, etc. have been exhausted. iii) Degree of benefit that will derive from the assistance by the taxpayers that will be ultimately responsible for paying for it. iv) Amount of grant requested. v) Whether or not the applicant has previously received assistance from the Cariboo Regional District vi) Whether or not there is an opportunity for individuals to make direct contributions. According to the Application, Grants for Assistance funds can be used for capital project and/or equipment or a special event. The funds are not intended to be used for on-going and /or operational funding. Historically, Grants for Assistance are awarded based upon the recommendation of the Electoral Area Director. The following comments were made by some of the other Directors, specifically Northern Directors (Electoral Areas A, C, I and the Mayor of Quesnel) at the November 29, 2013 Finance / Budget Meeting when discussing whether the grants for Area B should be supported: The Cariboo Regional District should not be offering Grants for Assistance in the North Cariboo as Electoral Areas A, B, C and I made a $200,000 donation over 2 years to the Quesnel Community Foundation (Note: Section 176 (1)(c) of the Local Government Act provides for the opportunity for Local Government to provide grants. This Section reads to provide assistance for the purpose of benefiting the community or any aspect of the community. ).
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Policy to awarding grants should not be waived. (Note: The Grants for Assistance Policy is waived often by the CRD Board to accommodate late applications, annual support, on-going funding, etc.) The determination by the elected officials at the time to donate monies to the Quesnel Community Foundation was not to preclude from Directors in the north to continue on with Grants for Assistance if they so choose. It is the decision of the Director to make that call. (Note: For a group to apply for grants through the Quesnel Community Foundation they must have charitable status or if a group does not have charitable status, they can find a sponsoring charitable organisation. This can be challenging for some groups as the sponsor is to have a similar mandate to the organisation applying (e.g. a sporting organisation cannot use an environmental organisation as a sponsor). Are there groups in Area B that do not qualify for grants with the Quesnel Community Foundation as they dont have charitable status? (Note: Yes, there are groups within Area B and outside of Area B that provide a service to Area B residents, and others, that do not have charitable status. Grants for Assistance should be not allocated to projects which are of a benefit to a single Electoral Area as the North Cariboo is one community. (Note: It is important that the residents of the Electoral Area providing the funds are directly benefited by the grant being proposed; this is only reasonable. If the Directors had viewed the applications submitted it would have been noted that the benefit of the projects proposed expanded outside of Electoral Area boundaries.)

The 5 Grants for Assistance Applications received by the CRD requesting support for Electoral Area B Grants for Assistance Funds are summarised in the table below: Applicant Amount Requested $600.00 Proposed Grant Use Recommended Funds to be Approved by Resident Advisory Committee $150.00

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Society of BC Cariboo Hoofbeats Assisted Activity Program Society (CHAAPS) Hixon Elementary Advisory Council Pet Safe Coalition Society of Canada Quesnel Tillicum Society

$2515.00

$6000.00 $1000.00 $2600.00 $12,715.00

1 wheelchair- high end cushion for the ALS Society of BC equipment loan program $500 helmets $2015 horse board during riding season Healthy Eating & Fitness Programs 2 Day Training for PSCS Volunteers Signage

$2165.00

$300.00 $1000.00 $0.00 $3615.00**

**Note: Assuming the same tax rate as set in 2013 ($0.77 / $100,000), the residential tax rate per $100,000 to collect $3615.00 would be approximately $0.56.

These grant applications were originally received by the Cariboo Regional District by the deadline of September th 30 and forwarded onto the Northern Caucus (Directors A, B, C and I) to review at the November 12, 2013 meeting (https://caribooregionaldistrict.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=27320). At that meeting, the Northern Caucus did not review the grants; rather the hard copies of the applications provided were passed onto me to distribute to the newly formed Area B Resident Review Committee - Grants for Assistance. As Electoral Area B is the only area in the North Cariboo that accepted Grant Applications for 2014, the review of the grants by the board would occur at the November 29, 2013 Finance / Budget Meeting. The Area B Resident Review Committee met on November 23, 2013 and assessed the applications for funds requested and how they demonstrated their benefit to the taxpayers of Electoral Area B. Minutes of their meeting is attached.

Area B Resident Review Committee - Grants for Assistance November 23, 2013 Bouchie Lake Hall, Bouchie Lake, BC
Attendance: Barb Bachmeier from Bouchie Lake area Sue Furminger from Bouchie Lake area Patty Kolody from Milburn Lake area Stefan Schwarzmann from Bouchie Lake area Karla Woeste from Ten Mile Lake area Regrets: Lisa Collins from Bouchie Lake area There were a total of five requests for grant money for us to review and they are as follows: -ALS Society of B.C. applied for $600.00 -Hixon Elementary Parent Advisory Council applied for $6,000.00 -Quesnel Tillicum Society applied for $2,600.00 -Pet Safe Coalition Society of Canada applied for $1,000.oo -CHAAPS applied for $2,515.00 ALS Society: -Barb made the motion to support the ALS Society for one quarter of the total amount requested, realizing that we may or may not have a person residing in Area B with ALS at this time, but may in the future have an Area B resident who is in need of a loan for equipment from the ALS Society. This would amount to $150 dollars of the $600 asked for. -Motion seconded by Patty. The ALS Society has not demonstrated that there is a direct benefit to Area B at this time. The committee realizes that there is a very real likelihood that there may be a resident of Area B who needs this in the future. - Two members not in favour of the motion. Majority of the members are in favour so the motion is carried. Hixon PAC: -Barb motions that based on the number of students (2) who attend Hixon Elementary School out of 40 that we support those students with a 5% donation of the total requested. This would amount to $300 dollars of the $6,000 requested. -Stefan seconded the motion. -We support the program, but not the whole amount. Hixon PAC should be advised to contact the Quesnel Breakfast Club for information as well as the BC Healthy Communities for assistance among other groups to get the balance of the funds requested. -All in favour, motion carried. Quesnel Tillicum Society: -Barb makes a motion to support the Quesnel Tillicum Society with $2,600 for 4 signs. One at the top of airport hill, one at the top of Bouchie Lake Hill and 2 at the North Fraser Drive property. -Sue seconds the motion. -Committee members had reservations as to the distraction of drivers at the top of the airport hill, and the disturbance of the park like setting at the top of Bouchie Lake hill. We

wondered if the Quesnel Tillicum Society would really benefit from these signs, or would public awareness be better gained in other ways such as social media. The committee would also have preferred to see approval of the sites for the proposed signs with the grant application. The committee supports the Quesnel Tillicum Society, but not this application for signs as we feel that these signs do not benefit Area B. -Motion opposed by all. Not carried. Pet Safe Coalition of Canada: -Stefan makes a motion to support the application as it stands for the requested amount of $1,000. -Barb seconds the motion. -The committee feels that Pet Safe provides a valuable service and that the residents of Area B would be well served to have this available in a time of need. An example is when the wild fires were close to Nazko, Pet Safe was there to assist with the removal of livestock and pets to safe areas. -All in favour, motion carried. CHAAPS: -Barb made a motion to support the $500 request for helmets. -Stefan seconded. -The committee recognizes that in order to participate in the riding program, the riders must have helmets. -All in favour, motion carried. -Barb made motion that we will fund the boarding of one horse from April to October for the amount of $1,665. -Patty seconded. -The committee felt that the boarding costs were a little on the high side. -All in favour, motion carried.

Summary: The committee has decided to award a total of $ 3,615.00 to be granted as follows: ALS Society: $150 Hixon PAC: $300 Quesnel Tillicum: $0 Pet Safe: $1,000 CHAPPS: $500 CHAAPS: $1,665 $3,615 This works out to approximately to $ .4329 per $100,000 assessed value. Adjourned at 11:45AM