Revisions to the Community Works funds have left some regional district directors in a quandary.
At the Feb. 20 regular board meeting, electoral area directors (EAD) sought and received support for a letter to be sent to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) expressing their concerns and pointing out the important role third parties play in providing services and much-needed infrastructure in rural communities.
Further to that, the EAD directors asked for board support to include the topic in the upcoming Electoral Area Forum and that the letter be copied to other regional districts.
The issue was first brought to the board last August when Jodi Pierce, general manager, financial services, advised the board that the new 10-year agreement on the Canada Community Building Fund for electoral areas contained new rules regarding third-party services. UBCM is the organization charged with administering the funds.
According to the new rules, non-profit community groups will no longer be able to access funding directly from the regional district to provide those services in rural communities. As well, they must deliver a service typical of local government that the board identifying projects as a regional priority within a long-term capital investment plan. Also, the board cannot prioritize a third-party project over a local government-owned priority project, and the project needs to be supported by asset management planning.
Area D director Dean Trumbley expressed his concerns at the August board meeting, pointing out Community Works Funds funds have previously had a tremendous impact on rural communities where there is not a lot of CSRD infrastructure that the regional district could fund directly.
“It is absolutely critical we find some sort of way, especially for the rural directors, to be able to access these funds for their non-profits,” he said. “In Area D, there is way more infrastructure provided by community than CSRD for recreation, community halls, stampede grounds etc.”
The issue was again the subject of discussion at the Nov. 26 Electoral Area Directors' Committee meeting where EAD directors crafted the recommendation to the CSRD board that a letter be sent to UBCM.
At the Feb. 20 regular board meeting, Electoral Area C director Marty Gibbons said he had attended an EAD conference in Richmond where a presentation on the subject left him even more confused about the new rules.
“It sounds like third party funding is still a possibility, but with additional reporting,” he said, noting the government seems to be making the issue even more complicated than previously. “There was a lot of concern from all directors about the effect it’s going to have.”
The revised Canada Community Building - Community Works Fund (CWF) will again be on the table at the next EAD meeting on Feb. 25.
