Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Of the grant money our BC NDP government announced today, twenty-six percent ($45,000) is for events which have already taken place, or will end shortly

Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture ... Image: BC NDP

Sports competitions provide great benefits for B.C. residents,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

They promote athlete development, bring people together and help organizations gain expertise in hosting large events, which boost local economies. By investing in sport events, we are investing in the future of our communities.”


With those words today, the BC government announced 23 communities will gain valuable experience staging a total of 39 provincial, regional, national and international sport championships over the next year, thanks to $175,650 in grants from the provincial government. 

Most people, I believe, would consider the words “will gain valuable experience” to relate to the future.  Not necessarily our NDP government however; they have their own definition, which allows for them to include sporting events which have already taken place. 

Looking over the list of Hosting BC Grants recipients, I found that several events have already taken place. 


The month of August was popular with Duncan … my own community of Kamloops … North Vancouver … Surrey … Vancouver … and Vernon receiving a total of $18,500 in grants.  That equates to ten and a half percent of the total announced.

For events taking place this month (September), an additional $27,000 in grants (15.37%) went to the communities of Qualicum Beach … Richmond (2 grants to them) and to Surrey.

So, the reality is that of the grant money our BC NDP government announced today, twenty-six percent ($45,000) is for events which have already taken place, or which will end shortly.

Grant monies distributed began, at the low end, with Castlegar, Kamloops, and Port Coquitlam each receiving $1,000 … and continuing all the way up to a $15,000 grant going to Langley to host  2019 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.  The city of Richmond however was the recipient of the largest amount of grant money ($40,000) … they benefited from $10,000 grants for each of four sporting events.  It total, the city of Richmond received over twenty two percent of funding announced earlier today.

The Hosting BC program was established in 2004, by the BC Liberal government of Gordan Campbell, to promote sport, economic and community development and to maintain BC’s reputation as an exceptional sport event destination. The BC government provides $500,000 in Hosting BC grants each year, administered by the non-profit society viaSport, as part of its annual $50-million funding commitment for amateur sport in the province.

If you haven’t calculated to get the answer already, let me conclude by saying what Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Lisa Beare should have announced as the actual Hosting BC Grants total today … $130,650.  But $175 thousand sounds so much better, doesn’t it?

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth, and I hope you’ll join the discussion on this or any other topic presented here.  Do you agree … disagree?  Post your thoughts in the Comment Section directly below.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

PEATS: I am writing with a critical concern regarding the imminent closure of the Eljen Medical Clinic, a vital healthcare facility in our community

The following is a copy of a letter sent to me, which was sent to BC’s Minister of Health Adrian Dix. It is with regards to the impending closure of the Eljen Medical Clinic in Dawson Creek.   Dear Minister,   I am writing to you today with a critical concern regarding the imminent closure of the Eljen Medical Clinic, a vital healthcare facility in our community. The closure, scheduled for the summer of 2024, is a result of the utterly burdensome terms and conditions imposed by the bureaucratic Northern Health. As a result, Dawson Creek stands to lose four doctors who have made this city their home, and who wish to continue serving the people of our community.   The impending closure of the Eljen Medical Clinic is a significant blow to our city. Not only will it result in the loss of highly qualified and dedicated healthcare professionals, but it will also deprive thousands of Dawson Creek residents of access to their primary physicians. At a time when healthcare se

Selina Robinson: "You broke my heart . . ." (The Real Story)

The mildly Zionist, innocuously leftish and now ousted advanced education minister’s letter to her New Democratic Party caucus colleagues, explaining why she has resigned the caucus to sit as an independent. The letter is an historic document, an artifact of the disgraceful cultural moment we’re living through. It’s important. It’s also a scorcher. It’s gathering a heck of a lot of attention . I’m printing it in full here. I’ve been insisting that what happened to Robinson is a much bigger deal and a completely different story than the one we’d all been led to believe. The necessary background: My piece in the National Post: The despicable untruths behind Selina Robinson's political lynching . More importantly , a Real Story investigation: The Problem With The Selina Robinson Story. . . It wasn't true. What follows is the story of what really happened. Let’s just get into it. Apart from punctuation and spelling I replicate the letter faithfully, with some further comm

Long-time former BC Liberal supporter says, I am definitely not hanging in there with BC United

                              BC United leader Kevin Falcon I recently asked a political acquaintance of mine, about their current involvement with BC United.   I was much surprised with the response given the BC Liberals had been the recipient of a lot of their time and energy in the past. By request, their comments are posted anonymously : I am definitely not hanging in there with BC United. Kevin’s poor judgement in ousting John Rustad from Caucus, and then publicly humiliating him, might be the most inept thing I have seen in BC politics ... and I’ve been involved in BC politics for a number of years! I still think the impetus was John‘s involvement in the Ellis Ross leadership campaign for the BC Liberal Party, and how successful and respected (despite not winning) it was. I am uncertain about the tenor of the current Conservative movement in North America. The once proud Republican Party in the United States has allowed itself to be led by a person who is morally, intell

Labels

Show more