Gambling-grant review in Kamloops
It’s often the lifeblood of many non-profit organizations — and now, local groups that benefit from gambling grants will get a chance to say how they would like the province to dole out the cash.
The Community Gaming Grant Review will be in Kamloops today (Aug. 16) for a forum, part of a 14-city tour initiated last month.
The Kamloops Search and Rescue Society (KSR) is one organization that intends to take part in the forum.
KSR president Brad Russell said he wants to make sure there aren’t going to be any unforeseen changes to the grant formula so the organization can budget properly.
It received $12,000 from the latest round of grants, released last week.
The organization, one of several dozen groups in the region that receives a grant, was previously given $7,000 annually in grants.
KSR’s annual budget is $25,000.
Other area organizations that benefitted from the recent grants include Kamloops and District Humane Society ($6,250), Clearwater & District Minor Hockey Association ($20,200), Kamloops River City Racers Speed Skating Club ($9,000) and the Kamloops branch of the St. John Society-B.C. and Yukon ($40,000).
The review has several purposes, including to look at the legislation that governs gambling-grant funding, provide options for a multi-year funding model and develop criteria and eligibility for organizations applying for grants.
Russell said he hopes the review will also set some type of guideline or priority for who gets funding, noting his organization competes with sports and arts groups.
“You can’t really lump Kamloops Search and Rescue, which is an emergency-response service, in with a knitting club and a bingo club,” he said.
The forum is open to the public and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Barber Centre at Thompson Rivers University.
Presentations will start after 9 a.m., with each group getting about 10 minutes.
The forum will be kicked off with an address from Skip Triplett, chairman of the review.
This year, the province distributed $135 million in grants for eligible community programs and services.
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