BC Gaming Grant Cross Province Tour Begins
BC Gaming will undertake a fourteen city cross-province tour, which began this week, in a bid to review how gambling grants can be better administered by the government.
Skip Triplett, the former President of Kwanten Polytechnic University in Surrey, will head the tour and gather feedback from various community groups. Premier Christy Clark said that the tour will ask for feedback on issues ranging from eligibility requirements to the application process involved.
The province has budgeted around $120 million for gaming grants this year, down from last year's $135 million and even further down from the $156 million allocated in the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Gambling revenue in the last fiscal year was $1 billion.
Premier Clark said that the need to gather information was imperative. "The number one concern I've heard is they need stable and predictable funding," she noted.
Around 6,000 charities and non-profit groups rely on the money as part as their budgets. BC Gaming provides funding to groups ranging from the Special Olympics team to children's arts programs.
Review of Eligibility Criteria
In recent years, there has been a change in the eligibility criteria, resulting in less funds being made available overall.
Skip Triplett said that he would review these criteria and other parameters. "Before developing options for the government, I want a complete appreciate of the situation," he said.
Clark added: "Certainly, the amount of money is one of the things at issue, but it's not the only thing at issue here."
Charity groups have praised the government for following through on its promise to launch a review in the gaming funds, however asked Clark to increase the amount granted by at least $15 million immediately, without which many groups would not be able to survive the coming year.
Skip Triplett's report is due at the end of October.
