City donated $130k in 2023
New policy on how it gives away taxpayer funds in the works.
Over the last several months, many local organizations have asked for financial assistance from the municipality. In December council approved funding for the West Nipissing food bank. A couple months later they denied funding for the homelessness support group, No More Tears. Last month, council heard requests from one local school board whereas they approved waiving facility rental fees for an event they were hosting. They also approved assistance for the Rod & Gun Club in March while denying a request from the Nipissing Kennel Club.
In light of getting so many requests from non-profit organizations, councillors had asked staff to prepare a report outlining all the money that the municipality gave to community groups in 2023.
Staff presented this report in a memo last week.
Throughout 2023, the municipality gave $107,008 in financial donations to non-profits and waved an additional $24,185 in fees for these groups.
By far, the biggest beneficiaries were organizations in Ward 8. The Centre Communautaire de Lavigne (CCL) received $34,234 followed by the North Monetville Community Centre which received $28,974.
Next up was the Franco-Nord school board whom the city helped with $9,646 last year. It is not clear why the municipality chose to support a single school board with donations but it’s important to note that councillor Daniel Gagne is employed by this organization as a director. The financial support for 2023 is above the facility waiver they authorized for this organization in 2024.
Along with the food bank, the Centre des arts de Nipissing Ouest (CANO) rounded out the top 5. Each receiving approximately $9,000.
Other notable donations went to United 50 Club in Cache bay ($7,506), the Royal Canadian Legion ($6,059) the Club d’age d’or Sturgeon Falls ($6,070) and the Club d’age d’or Field ($6,792).
Notably absent was any organizations or groups based out of Verner (Ward 7).
Various discussion on municipal donations over the last several meetings has exposed that the city does not really have a formal policy for approving which charities get access to taxpayer dollars and which ones get denied.
This was obvious to anyone who watched the March 5th council proceedings*. At that meeting, council had a lengthy debate about helping the Kennel Club bring the regional dog show to Sturgeon Falls before denying their request. But then a few seconds later, they unanimously approved a financial assistance request from the Rod & Gun Club to host a fishing tournament. No questions were asked.
*Link to March 5th meeting (approx. 2:43:00 into the meeting).
Last week council directed staff to create a policy for approving such recipients in the future.
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If Daniel Gagne is a WN Councillor and director on the Franco Nord school Board and it is the only school to have received municipal hand outs doesn't that rather raise issues under 'conflict of interest'? Also, what requirements had to be in place before any funding was allocated? When local governments become authoratative there is total loss of transparency.
As long as incompetent names are on these documents they won't get our support for we will not fund the continued incompetence that should have also been refreshed with the last election.