Report: Grants to community groups have tripled since 2005

With grants to community organizations having tripled in the last 11 years, members of the finance committee are looking for a report on exactly where that money is going and how certain groups qualify for funds year after year.

A chart presented this week by Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh showed that the annual grants to a host of groups have increased from $245,272 in 2005 to $745,297 this year. The total is more than $5.8 million, an amount close to the city's budget gap this year, McIntosh said.

While she wasn't picking on a specific group, McIntosh said she has questions about how some groups qualify for grants year after year.

“I just wanted councillors to see the exponential growth in these line items,” she said. “The numbers have tripled ... over an 11-year period.
“I'm looking for the criteria of how do you get to be a line item? Why do some seniors groups (get funding) and not other seniors groups?”

Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said the report should include how many volunteer hours each group receives, as well as their five-year plans and goals.

Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo, who chairs the finance committee, said he'd like to know information about whether each group requires the same or more levels of funding, and exactly how the money is being used.

“In order for us to make a decision on whether to continue the same level of funding, or increase the level of funding, it would be very helpful to know (whether) those organizations require that same level of funding for the coming year,” he said.

Mayor Brian Bigger said now is a good time to look at tightening the reporting process to ensure there's no overlapping of funds.

The report should include an overview of what the goals of the groups are, how much volunteer hours are involved and exactly what the city gets for the money they are investing in the groups.

“I think it's appropriate for the finance committee or maybe the audit committee for this to be a future topic to look at,” Bigger said.

“There's probably some opportunity, through sharing those objectives, to have more groups working together collaboratively and maybe enhancing their effectiveness and what they're trying to accomplish.”

Ward 6 Coun. René Lapierre said most of the groups who receive the grants don't report back on how the money was actually spent.

“That's $5.8 million and really we have no idea how that worked afterwards,” Lapierre said. “We don't get a financial report from them about what they did with the money. This is taxpayers' money and we want to be open and transparent. We need to have some type of idea of what they've done.”

He would also like the report to include details of what the groups are receiving in in-kind services from the city.

“Maybe we only give them $5,000 as a cheque, but we potentially give them $10,000 in in-kind services. From hall rentals, park services. I think that has to be looked at as well.”

And Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier said the grant money also doesn't include funding from Health Community Initiative funds, the $50,000 each councillor gets to spend in their wards each year.

“I want to see if there's any double dipping going on,” Cormier said. “This is not a complete picture of the funding they get from the city.”

The report is expected to be ready by the time the 2016 budget process begins.