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

BC Conservative MLA Teresa Wat Calls for Immediate Action to Increase Community Gaming Grant Funding


Teresa Wat, Official Opposition Critic for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Anti-Racism, and Trade and MLA for Richmond-Bridgeport, is calling on the provincial government to address a critical funding gap in the Community Gaming Grant program. Despite years of advocacy from nonprofit organizations like the BC Association for Charitable Gaming (BCACG), the most recent ministerial mandate letter fails to commit to increasing funding for the program.

“Community Gaming Grants are the lifeblood of over 29,000 nonprofit organizations across British Columbia,” said Wat. “These grants support essential services in arts, culture, sports, social services, and public safety. Yet, the funding has remained stagnant since 2010, while inflation has steadily eroded its value. This is unacceptable, especially given the growing demands placed on our nonprofits by population growth and post-pandemic recovery.”

Wat criticized the government for missing an opportunity to reinvest increased gaming revenues, particularly from single-sport betting, into the Community Gaming Grant program.

"It makes you wonder where all this additional money went. Did the government just put it all into general revenue when it should have gone to supporting a sector that contributes to the vibrancy and healthy of communities through the province,“ Wat asked. “Premier David Eby made it a higher priority to find money for all his MLAs, raises for partisan staff, and a huge severance for his chief of staff. In doing so, he stiffed BC’s charitable sector. This is shameful!”

In a letter to former Minister of Municipal Affairs Anne Kang, the BCACG highlighted that inflation-adjusted funding should be increased to $193.7 million annually, up from the current $140 million. This adjustment would reflect the significant economic pressures faced by nonprofits, whose contributions to the provincial economy are estimated at $6.7 billion annually.

“The program has moved and is now administered under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, led by Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert. Minister Chandra Herbert has long been an advocate for vibrant culture and arts in BC. It’s time for the Minister and this NDP government to step up and deliver for the nonprofits that serve our communities,” Wat added. “We need to see a commitment to adjusting funding levels to reflect today’s realities and ensuring long-term sustainability through annual inflationary adjustments.”

Wat is calling on the government to take immediate action by engaging stakeholders, increasing funding to inflation-adjusted levels, and introducing annual inflationary adjustments to both the operating and capital grant categories.

“Nonprofits are the backbone of our communities, and their success is directly tied to the health and well-being of our province,” Wat concluded.

“The government must demonstrate leadership and prioritize the funding these organizations so desperately need.”

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Budget 2027: After a Decade of Decline, NDP Budget Delivers an Assault on Seniors, Working Families, and Small Businesses

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.   “After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.” Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.   “This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?” Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while prov...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH – My question is, ‘How do we decide who is blue enough to be called a Conservative?’

How do we decide who’s blue enough to be a Conservative? AS OF TODAY (Friday January 30 th ), there are now eight individuals who have put their names forward to lead the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Having been involved with BC’s Conservatives since 2010, and having seen MANY ups and downs, having 8 people say “I want to lead the party” is to me, an incredible turn-around from the past. Sadly, however, it seems that our party cannot seem to shake what I, and others, call a purity test of ‘what is a Conservative’. And that seems to have already come to the forefront of the campaign by a couple of candidates. Let me just say as a Conservative Party of BC member, and as someone active in the party, that frustrates me to no end. Conservatives, more than any other political philosophy or belief, at least to me, seems to have the widest and broadest spectrum of ideals.   For the most part, they are anchored by these central thoughts --- smaller and less intru...
1 comment
Read more

Stamer: Hope for Forestry Completely Shattered After Another Provincial Review Driven by DRIPA

IMAGE CREDIT:  Provincial Forestry Advisory Council Conservative Critic for Forests Ward Stamer says the final report from the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council confirms the worst fears of forestry workers and communities; instead of addressing the real issues driving mill closures and job losses, the NDP has produced a report that ignores industry realities and doubles down on governance restructuring. Despite years of warnings from forestry workers, contractors, and industry organizations about permitting delays, regulatory costs, fibre access, and the failure of BC Timber Sales, the PFAC report offers no urgency, no timelines, and no concrete action to stop the ongoing decline of the sector. “ This report completely shatters any remaining hope that the government is serious about saving forestry ,” said Stamer.  “ We didn’t need another study to tell us what industry has been saying for years. While mills close and workers lose their livelihoods, the NDP is focused on re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more