The third week in February is Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week. I think that’s great. Ontario’s non-profits play an essential part in the lives of many.
The volunteers and employees of non-profit organizations are our unsung heroes. Our non-profits and charities embody the best of Sudbury and Ontario. They provide food, shelter, clothing and support. They inspire and educate. Most importantly, they are there for people of all ages, races, and socio-economic statuses.
However, Premier Doug Ford wants to celebrate Non-Profit Appreciation Week by sending out congratulatory thank-you letters. At first glance, that might seem like a good idea, but believing that all that Ontario’s non-profit sector needs is a souvenir pat on the back is beyond insulting.
In reality, successive Liberal and Conservative governments have continued an ugly tradition of underfunding Ontario’s non-profit organizations. As a result, non-profits have struggled to make ends meet for way too long.
It is now 2023, and most organizations in this sector still can’t afford to pay their employees a competitive wage, resulting in high employee turnover and staffing vacancies that go unfulfilled for months.
The reality for these organizations, workers and volunteers is that the system put in place by Doug Ford has set them up to fail. Purposed and constant underfunding has made non-profits feel abandoned and forgotten. They have done so much, with so little, for so long that they’re at an emotional and financial breaking point.
And, like the Liberal Party before him, there is no help on the way from Doug Ford. By not providing adequate funding for the critical work that Ontario’s non-profits do, the Conservative government continues to fail these organizations and the communities they serve.
Souvenir thank-you cards from the premier and his ministers won’t help Ontario’s non-profits make ends meet. If the Ford government truly wants to celebrate Ontario’s 58,000 registered charities and non-profit organizations, it should do that by funding them adequately.
That way, Ontario’s non-profit organizations could afford to continue their essential work serving our communities while being paid a fair wage.
Doing that is the only way to truly celebrate Non-Profit Appreciation Week.
Jamie West is the NDP MPP for Sudbury.
