The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) has divided up the last of its allocation of COVID restart grant funding, which it received back in 2020.
The regional district originally received $627,000, of which it has already allocated $575,250, leaving it with $51,750 as of December 2023.
The majority of the funds, which it received through the federal and provincial governments as part of efforts to assist local governments in making up funding shortfalls and getting programs back up and running after pandemic disruptions, went to revenue shortfalls ($164,567), general government services ($102,266) and improving virtual accessibility ($159,147).
At the Dec. 14 regular board meeting, the district board chose to split the remaining $51,750 four ways: $10,750 will go to cybersecurity at the SLRD, $11,000 will support transit in Area C initiatives, $14,000 will go towards a project to upgrade the SLRD website, and $16,000 will be donated to the four local food banks in the SLRD, at $4,000 each.
The four food banks are the Pemberton food bank, Whistler food bank, Squamish food bank and Lillooet food bank.
Originally, the split was going to be $15,000 to Area C transit, $12,000 to the four food banks, but Pemberton Mayor, Mike Richman, indicated interest in finding other funding sources for any of the three SLRD-focused programs to divert more funds toward food banks, which he noted were struggling in current economic conditions.
Following some discussion, it was decided that the Area C transit project could have some funding shaved from the restart grant allocation, which other grant sources would then cover. Both other projects would have had to be covered by additional taxation.
Initial discussions on directing funding away from efforts to upgrade the SLRD website were derailed by Squamish director Jenna Stoner, who said she wouldn't support moving grant funding around in a way that would have to be made up through taxation.
Lillooet Mayor Laurie Hopfl indicated she wanted to use the grant money for SLRD programs, and leave donations to community groups up to the community.
"Food banks, while a great cause … it's not our job to be giving taxpayers money to certain not-for-profit sources," she said, noting that while it was COVID restart grant funding, if the SLRD gave it to community groups, it would need to levy taxes on ratepayers to make up gaps in funding for its own programs.
"If people want to donate to certain groups, then that's their choice to donate to certain groups. It's not our choice to donate their money."
Eventually, it was decided to divert more funding to the food banks anyway, with the money coming from the transit project. Stoner seemed content with learning that funds for transit could be made up in other ways that wouldn't draw down on taxation sources, and made the resolution to draw $4,000 from the Area C transit allocation and put it towards the food banks.
Before the final vote, Area A director Sal Demare made general remarks in defense of directing funds toward food banks.
"We have lots of non-profit organizations that we fund through taxation that we receive. Personally, I am totally in favour of funding food banks because it does help our community."
Hopfl was the lone dissenter in voting to allocate the funds, with the rest of the board voting to support the proposed division.
Of the entire restart grant package, the SLRD had already allocated $82,000 to food banks before the Dec. 14 meeting, with the additional $16,000 bumping that number to $98,000 over the years.
The full staff report on the allocations can be read on the SLRD website.
