Gaming Grant Review Tour visits West Kootenay (Castlegar) on Monday
By Timothy Schafer
British Columbia’s Community Gaming Grant Review will hold a community forum Monday, Aug. 15 at the Sandman Hotel in Castlegar.
Skip Triplett, appointed last month by Premier Christy Clark to lead the independent review, is examining the role of government in allocating gaming revenue with input from charities, non-profits, community members, local government and others who would like to participate.
An estimated 70 people attended the first forum in the series in Campbell River Thursday evening to weigh in on provincial gaming grants.
Those at the meeting said the provincial government needs to fix the way it distributes gaming funds to charities and non-profit groups, saying funding cuts and changing government policy have left them scrambling to make sense of the system.
Several speakers also called for longer-term funding and a more simplified application process.
The Terms of Reference include reviewing and providing options for:
- Existing legislation governing community gaming grant funding.
- Funding formula.
- Criteria/eligibility for community gaming grants.
- Processes involved with applying for and receiving community gaming grants.
- A multi-year funding model.
- The future role of government in community gaming grants.
The Castlegar forum, which is open to all, will run from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 15 at the Sandman, 1944 Columbia Ave.
To reserve a speaking time, groups or individuals wishing to make an oral presentation at the forum must register online at: www.communitygaminggrantreview.gov.bc.ca
Those simply wishing to attend are also encouraged to register online.
Submissions to the review are also being accepted by email, FAX, or mail. Triplett’s final report is due to government by Monday, Oct. 31.
Community Gaming Grant Review forums are being held in the North, Interior, Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland in August and September.
Quick facts
Gaming generates more than $1 billion in revenue per year for the B.C. government.
In 2010-11, $135 million in Community Gaming Grants – a 12.5 per cent increase over the previous year – was distributed to approximately 6,000 non-profit and charitable organizations in B.C.
Learn more
Find out more about the review, including the time and location of all community forums, as well as registration and presentation information, through the Community Gaming Grant Review Website at: www.communitygaminggrantreview.gov.bc.ca
Submissions can be made until 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, 2011:
- Through the website: www.communitygaminggrantreview.gov.bc.ca
- By mail: PO Box 9827 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria BC, V8W 9W4
- FAX: 250 356-2842
- Email: communitygaminggrantreview@gov.bc.ca
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