EAGLE VALLEY
NEWS
Young pirates head to the hills for loppet Page 6
Healer offers insight on colour therapy Page 7
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014 PM40008236
Vol. 59 No. 5 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
Arts council anxious over grant funding
Budget: Recommendations a concern for non-profit organizations. By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
Though district council has yet to approve grantin-aid requests for 2014, proposed grant funding cuts have already raised the ire of at least one community organization. In a presentation at last week’s council meeting, Eagle Valley Arts Council (EVAC) president Carla Krens questioned where council’s priorities are. She commented that council can consider spending $50,000 on Christmas lights/decorations, yet cut grant requests for local non-profit organizations. She was referring to recommendations made back in November by council’s select finance committee, which has been deliberating the 2014 budget, including grant requests which total more than $64,000. According to minutes from the committee meeting of Nov. 20, the district has only $37,650 for grants (one per cent of taxes). Subsequently, the committee wound up cutting several of the requested amounts, including the arts council’s request for $3,500. The committee recommended reducing that amount to $2,000. Krens explained the district grant, to be used for operations and programming, is matched by the BC Arts Council, meaning a $1,500 cut will actually amount to $3,000. “We feel that asking for a mere $3,500 to facilitate a fully operational arts centre in a 90-year-old building, which is a landmark in our history, is not too much to ask,” said Krens. Couns. Suzanne Carpenter, who was absent from the Nov. 20 meeting, said she felt council needs to support the EVAC’s grant request. “It seems like it’s the one place we can go in the winter and have entertainment so I would like to support Ms. Krens in her endeavours,” said Carpenter. Coun. Fred Busch, who also missed the Nov. 20 meeting, reminded Krens that council has yet to make a final decision on grants. “So I think there is some very good hope that will be reconsidered,” said Busch. Coun. Don Richardson said he understands the importance of the arts in the community, but See Council on page 3
Birthday boy: Sicamous Eagles general manager Wayne March was in the spotlight Friday night as friends and fans wished him a happy 70th birthday. The celebration not only kicked off the game, but also Sicamous Snow Days activities that continue into March. See more Eagles action on page 8. Photo by Lachlan Labere
Fate of Literacy Alliance again in question Funding cut: Shuswap residents encouraged to write local MLA. By Barb Brouwer
Eagle Valley News
Jennifer Findlay has a writing assignment for the Shuswap. “We need polite letters reminding funders how well we do so they don’t forget about us,” said the Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap (LASS) outreach co-ordinator Friday. Findlay says she had hoped that after last year’s struggle to restore provincial funding for literacy co-ordinators, the issue would have been resolved. But, once again, Decoda Literacy Solutions, the agency that receives funding from the Ministry of Education and
disburses it to literacy groups throughout the province, has only $1 million to spend. It takes $2.5 million annually to properly fund the 102 literacy co-ordinator positions in the province. Mike Leland, Decoda’s director of communications, says the organization usually receives notice of funding in December but has yet to hear from the province. “We are working with the ministry; we’re angling for it, but the budget hasn’t been set yet,” said Leland Monday. “The ministry has been totally co-operating. We’ve been in talks with them and we were very optimistic.”
Leland says Decoda officials have asked groups to go to their local MLAs and make them aware of the importance of literacy and the good things they do in the community. For Findlay, that meant a meeting with Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo. “I met with him to talk about all the programs and literacy issues,” Findlay says, describing Kyllo as being super supportive. “He was surprised by some of the statistics and really valued and honoured the work that we do and all the community partnerships, volunteers and how it links to other donations.” Findlay says the $30,000
LASS receives is leveraged for other grant opportunities, in-kind contributions and community donations, effectively tripling their budget. “We can make a lot of good things happen, but if we don’t have the guaranteed coordinator funding, everything falls apart,” she says, pointing out that last year, LASS’ funding was initially cut just two weeks after then-MLA George Abbott presented a premier’s award and a speech about how critical a literate workforce is to the economy. On a positive note, Findlay says the Select Standing ComSee Planning on page 3