Did you, like so many others, vote Tory in the 2016 Manitoba election? How are you feeling about that decision these days?
Has the queasiness set in yet knowing that:
-Some rural hospitals and ambulance services are slated to go under the knife while temporary emergency room closures and doctor shortages continue to plague Westman hospitals.
-The PTH 257 bridge near Virden is a crumbling hulk with no timeline to rebuild, despite public pleas and petitions.
-A barebones agency that helps thousands of non-profit projects has been deep sixed by the Pallister government.
That last one is a real burr under my saddle.
In mid-January the provincial government told the Manitoba Community Services Council (MCSC) that it will stop funding its operations on April 1, 2018 without announcing an alternative.
The Council has only three employees and a dozen volunteers who have dispensed half a billion dollars in aid to non-profits in Manitoba over their 34-year tenure - a stellar record of supporting community projects that fill the gaps in government services.
Full disclosure: My own non-profit group has received MCSC grants twice; I won’t mention its name because that’s not what this is about. Hundreds of charities across Manitoba, not just mine, will feel the pain if the Council goes away.
Why does it matter? Aren’t there other places to get grants?
Yes and no.
MCSC is different
What makes the MCSC so unique is that it provides grants for operating costs.
Let me explain why that’s important.
There are basically two kinds of grants in the non-profit world: capital grants (for buildings, vehicles, pools etc.) and operating grants (for professional services, special programs, etc.)
The MCSC is the only agency I’ve found in ten years of fundraising that does both.
By contrast, most if not all local area foundations will only fund capital projects, a policy that essentially punishes the most efficient, no-frills charities.
Similarly, the Community Spaces program run by the province supports non-profit projects but only for physical “stuff” like equipment and structures.
My non-profit and others like it don’t need costly infrastructure. Our volunteers work out of their homes and use their own cars for transportation, their own computers for communication.
What we do need funding for is the professional services we use (aka operating expenses).
Hometown charities take hit
So it’s easy to see how charities right in your town or RM will take a hit if we lose MSCS dollars.
This is why our MLA for Arthur-Virden, Doyle Piwniuk, should stand up for his constituents and the non-profits in his riding by speaking up for the continued existence of the MCSC and in particular the continued availability of operating grants.
Because a government that has nothing better to do than chip away at the volunteer sector is seriously testing our love, even in a staunch Tory stronghold like southwestern Manitoba.
(Just before press time, I received an email from MLA Doyle Piwniuk. It said, in part, that the province will continue to “support community organizations” at the same time “reducing administration and duplication.” Piwniuk did not provide details on how non-profit funding will be delivered or if operating funds will continue to be offered.)
