WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRISTY CLARK’S GAMING GRANT REVIEW?
This letter was sent to the Vancouver Courier by AABC member Colin Miles.

Arts Advocacy BC sent a short questionnaire posing this question to leadership candidates of the provincial Liberal and New Democratic Party.

“Will you honour the 1999 Memorandum of Agreement to allocate 33.3 percent of gaming revenues to non-profits, or agree to re-negotiate that agreement in good faith?
”

While NDP and Green candidates answered they would honour the memorandum, Christy Clark answered.  “These are difficult economic times and I want to make sure that we maintain our fiscal discipline. At the same time, groups who count on gaming grants 
as a source of revenue need some assurance, which is why I will ask a retired judge to chair a review of the way gaming grants are allocated to all groups in the province to ensure there is a stable and sustainable funding formula.
 The arts community will have a voice at the table during the review of gaming grants as we all work to create a funding system that works for government and the groups that count on the funding.”

Since the Campbell Government abrogated the Memorandum of Agreement, 8,000 organizations in the non-profit sector have been decimated and it is estimated 1,500 non-profit organizations have gone under.  Arts and culture have been doubly jeopardized by savage cuts in grants.

As promised, Premier Clark appointed Skip Triplett to chair a Community Gaming Grant Review.  1,700 British Columbians made submissions and the Report was delivered October 31.  It was supposed to be released to the public by year-end, but the Government has reneged on this promise.   Why the delay?  Does the report perhaps embarrass the government?

Colin Miles