On July 11 Premier Christy Clark rolled the bones on the nattily-named Skip Triplett to dig into the heart of the province in order to learn the best road ahead for gaming grants.

On August 25, the Community Gaming Grant Review, led by the affable Triplett, stopped in for a morning at the Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort.

They came to hear what people think and want from the formerly prodigious gaming grants, which the province ripped asunder in 2009. And they heard from a number of passionate volunteers and organizations, with common needs and views surfacing soon into the four-hour review.

Most of the roughly 20 speakers represented not-for-profit groups but a Cranbrook resident who chose to speak as a “concerned citizen” seemed to neatly summarize the common theme of the morning.

Noting that she has sat on numerous not-for-profit boards, Melba Hanson said she knows the “mantra of the non-profit. It goes this way: We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible, for the ungrateful, we have done so much, with so little, for so long, we can now do everything with nothing.

“Humorous as that may be there is a ring of truth to it, especially as far as rural non-profits are concerned. But they can’t do everything with nothing. When charities and on-profits, in particular in the social sector, form the warp and woof of the fabric of the safety net in our communities, residents and governments continually rely on them for services but expect them to do so with less and less,” Hanson said, earning applause.

Triplett and the review heard from numerous speakers that gaming grants are vital to the continued existence of non-profit groups that perform vital community functions that were once government’s bailiwick. When deep cuts were made back in 2009, volunteers had to dig even deeper and some organizations shut down. Most organizations have had to work harder and harder just to make basic ends meet.

Gail Brown of the Kootenay Child Health and Development Centre (KCHDC), reflecting several other speakers’ views, recommended a return of “basic funding for planning” for non-profits, as well as re-introduce “special capital funding.”

Wendy Hethrington of Kimberley Search and Rescue, also speaking on behalf of all search and rescue units in the East Kootenay, outlined the extensive work and training her fellow members undergo – all for a singular purpose.

“Simply put, we help bring people home,” she said, adding many volunteers end up out of pocket to get the training they need.

“Our members donate thousands of hours. Every time we go out there we put our lives on the line,” she said, noting the recent death of search and rescue volunteer in Creston.

B.C. gaming once supported search and rescue groups in the past that allowed for the purchase of equipment, buildings to house equipment and to help train volunteers “to a professional level,” she said.

Echoing most other speakers, Hethrington recommended “sustainable funding” would allow longer-term planning and take strain off volunteers.

Bill Usher, of Kicking Horse Culture out of Golden, said government cuts over the years have forced volunteer groups “to carry out the grassroots” activities that “all communities need to be healthy” and necessity has taught organizations to leverage $20,000 grants “ten or 20 times.”

The non-profit sector is “an invested partner with government” but “they are cutting support to all of us.”

Non-profit arts and culture groups bring hope and life to their communities, Usher continued.

Triplett agreed, pointing out that arts are “more than entertainment. They are a vibrant part of our society.”

Moyie Community Association president Sherry Parsons noted that “99% of B.C. is rural. We grow rural families. Rural families care about the environment around us.”

However, cuts to gaming grants sliced into rural B.C. harder than urban B.C., she said, outlining how her association lost $4,000 in gaming grants in ’09 and extra fundraising efforts were required of an already aged and overtaxed volunteer base.

“It’s not right for this sandwich generation to foot the bill on limited personal incomes,” she said, noting areas such as Moyie also play a role in tourism, hosting explosions of population during popular seasons, which strain volunteer bases even further.

“I’m not saying city life is bad, but those city people like to come to us,” she said, concluding that community associations “desperately need the funding” and, she suggested, if the government does return gaming grants, it needs to manage the system better.

Bob Rutherford, past president of the Fairmont Hot Springs Lions’ Club, echoed Parsons, noting how most people driving through the Columbia Valley hot spot would think it is a fairly large town, not realizing that the majority of residencies they see are seasonal, weekend or time share units. The small full-time population has to work extra hard to provide amenities to residents and gaming funds are needed to help out.

“There are only two pieces of community property in Fairmont Hot Springs, a tennis court and a graveyard and the graveyard is bigger than the tennis court. We have to start developing things here for the residents,” he said.

Rotarian and uber-volunteer Sandy Zeznik said non-profits assist the government “to keep this province strong, mentally and physically” and in turn the government cannot abandon those groups.

“Volunteers and employees of charities are at work 24/7, by the thousands,” stated Melba Hanson. “They feed the homeless, council the addicted, provide shelter for battered women, assist the elderly and disabled, coach sports teams, enhance our lives through the arts, help refugees and immigrants, and our environment. They staff crisis lines, deliver Meals on Wheels, and search for the lost in our mountains and forests. We could not ever afford to buy what our charities and non-profits give us. What would our life be like without them? Our government cannot afford to duplicate their efforts and nor should they demoralize them,” she said, adding the cuts in gaming grants was “devastating not only to some small rural non-profit organizations but devastated the programs they deliver and thus impacted the populations they serve. I am here because I saw this happen and I don’t want it to happen again. To me it was akin to cashing in the kid’s college funds to buy an all-terrain vehicle. Short sighted indeed!”

Hanson suggested that gaming grant applications be simplified, so non-profit groups can focus more on delivering programs than writing grant applications.

She also suggested that an agreement be put into place than ensures at least 33% of gaming funds be returned to grants, as originally outlined in a 1999 Memorandum of Agreement signed between the government, BC Association for Charitable Gaming and Union of BC Municipalities.

Additionally, she suggested that five per cent of that 33% be invested in a permanent endowment fund to grow the money. Hanson added she would also like to see the 33% figure increased.

A “foundation” should also be established to handle the gaming grants, that operates at arm’s length from government.

Sioux Browning of the Cranbrook and District Arts Council said B.C. has fallen far behind the rest of Canada in terms of supporting non-profit arts organizations.

“Currently, B.C. has the lowest per capita funding of any province in Canada,” she said, pointing out funding in B.C. is $7 per person, while it is $23 a person for Canada. And that doesn’t make much sense, she continued, noting B.C.’s extremely vibrant arts scenes, how it is home to countless world class artists and is home to the fourth largest film community in North America.

“That’s less than thriving,” she said of the $7 per person.

Following the presentations, Triplett informed the audience that a summary of his findings will be posted on the review website https://www.communitygaminggrantreview.gov.bc.ca/.

“It’s not comprehensive – just raw data – but it will give you an idea of what I’ve been hearing,” he said.

In total, Triplett is hosting 14 forums around the province, along with five video conferences.

A self professed “community service junkie,” Triplett has held seats on more than a dozen non-profit groups, and admitted he knows how many of the speakers feel when it comes to issues they face.

“My sole concern is what happens to the funds that go to gaming grants,” he said. “Job one for me is to build as strong a case as I can for the sector that uses gaming grants.”

“Are the sectors right? Should we build back in the sectors that were disenfranchised? Like sports, environmental groups, adult arts and animal rights? And we will be looking at the criteria. Should they be the same or different for each sector?”

Another commonly stated desire that Triplett has heard in his travels across the province is for multi-year funding to be re-instated for gaming grants, which he heard in spades at the Cranbrook forum.

“The Premier herself has said she is interested in multi-year funding” which was removed from the pot in 2009, he said.

Triplett’s tour of the province ends Sept. 17 and the last date to make submissions to the review is Sept. 16. He said he believes it will take about a month to analyze all the data and “look for patterns.”

On Oct. 31 he will present his report to the Premier.

“She has asked for options and not recommendations,” he noted.

About $1 billion in gaming revenues are made available each year, with 70% going to government programs, and 20% of that goes to health care. Eight per cent goes to communities with gaming centres or casinos and currently 13.5% goes out in gaming grants.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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