B.C. community groups wait months to hear news of gaming grants
Twenty community groups in British Columbia have been waiting since at least May to hear from the provincial government to find out if they will receive grants.
The province was supposed to notify all grant recipients by Aug. 31 to let them know if they were to receive funding.
On Wednesday, B.C. Auditor General Carol Bellringer released an audit examining the Community Gaming Grant program.
In it, Belllringer cited the delays and suggested the reason may be because the grant review system has been transferred to a different ministry.
That transfer had been designed to make the system more efficient.
But one MLA complained that the shakeup backfired and some organizations have been waiting months.
"There are groups still waiting in December and that has huge implications," said Coquitlam-Maillardville NDP MLA Selina Robinson.
Robinson said transferring the grants review system was neither "efficient" or "effective," and "completely missed the mark."
Groups wait for grants
Each year, the province distributes the money from gambling revenues to about 5,000 non-profit organizations.
Those still waiting, according to the government's website, include: the Langley Girls Ice Hockey Association, Open Space Arts Society in Victoria and Green Thumb Players Society in Vancouver.
In her audit, Bellringer noted that one of the reasons for delays was that the province has transferred the grant review system from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Community, Sports and Cultural Development.
The auditor said the province has a suitable framework for handing out the $135 million in grants every year.
But she also provided ten recommendations on how the system could be improved.
Her report said community groups and non-profits need more more information to understand how the program is managed.
Changes underway
"Government needs to ensure that the funding decisions are consistent and well documented," said Bellringer. "We also found the projects' guidelines should be updated and clarified to better communicate the eligibility requirements to grant applicants."
The Auditor General also found the one-time gaming grants are not fairly distributed and some organizations have received the special grant year after year, which is against the intent of the government's policy.
The province has committed to adopting all the recommendations in the auditor's report. Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Peter Fassbender said that his government is already addressing some of the recommendations.
"A number of steps have already been taken in 2016 that proactively address the report's recommendations," Fassbender said. "Including improvements to the program guidelines and development of a comprehensive policy and procedures manual to support a consistent and high-quality review of applications."
