Social planning councils across the province are alarmed to hear that Sudbury City Council is considering cutting its $50,000 grant to the Social Planning Council of Sudbury (SPCS).
That cut would mean SPCS would have to shut down, unable to pay rent, audit and insurance expenses, and other basic operating costs.
If taken, this short-sighted budget action would sacrifice many multiples of $50,000 in value to the community.
SPCS’s 2017 annual report shows the city’s basic operating grant of $50,000 enables SPCS to generate $500,000 in additional funding to provide projects and programs to community members, many of them marginalized and highly vulnerable groups.
SPCS is one of 18 social planning councils across the province making up the Social Planning Network of Ontario (SPNO). Social planning councils are critically important independent community resources complementing the social service mandate of municipalities.
As trusted community-driven non-profit organizations, they facilitate community engagement and participation in community planning and problem-solving. They incubate and support community innovation through social enterprises such as Sudbury’s Community Garden Network and Good Food Box. These kinds of initiatives develop community capacity and reduce demand on other municipal services. Hence, not only current community developments, but future opportunities are at risk with the loss of SPCS’s basic operating capacity.
The return on investment for each municipal dollar in SPCS is quite evident. Even more important is the impact on the lives and prospects for Sudburians benefiting from the work done with these funds. Volunteer leadership in SPCs across the province urge Sudbury city council to maintain its funding support to SPCS.
Peter Clutterbuck
Senior Community Planning Consultant,
Social Planning Network of Ontario