Prince George city council voted seven to two in favour of approving $121,576 in limited-duration operating grants in both 2025 and 2026 at its Monday, March 24 meeting.
As previously reported by the Citizen, council considered city administration’s recommendations to allocate the $131,576 set aside for the grants in this year and next year’s budget at a March 5 Committee of the Whole meeting.
This is the first year grants have been given out for this program.
Council received 36 applications, but staff determined that only 27 applications worth $664,734.42 met the eligibility requirements.
Of those applications, staff recommended funding go out to 14 applicants. During the committee meeting, Coun. Brian Skakun put forward a successful motion removing the recommended $10,000 for the Exploration Place in both 2025 and 2026.
Skakun argued that the Exploration Place already receives funding from the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, including a $500,000 loan approved last April.
At the March 25 meeting, council debated the remaining grant recommendations from the committee of the whole meeting.
Also discussed was what would be done with the remaining $10,000 left over in the grant program’s budget for this year and next year after the museum’s removal.
Director of civic facilities and events Andy Beesley said administration is proposing to come back with recommendations for how to spend that money at a future committee of the whole meeting
“It’s not quite as easy as just going back and re-allocating the money because for adjudication fairness, you’d have to go through a whole process,” Beesley said. “I think administration is going to look through some different options and then bring it back to council for consideration.”
That committee of the whole meeting will likely take place just after the summer, Beesley said.
Skakun asked whether in future years, there could be some backup recommendations for grant recipients in the case that council doesn’t approve all of administration’s recommendations. Beesley said that’s something they’ll look into as the program evolves.
When council voted on the recommendation, Mayor Simon Yu and Coun. Garth Frizzell voted against.
Following the vote, Coun. Cori Ramsay said that as a board member with the regional district, she saw an organization get a funding increase there and then get recommended for a city grant. However, she did not name the organization of which she spoke.
“To me, I think that there needs to be consideration given to funding bodies from the city and regional district in co-ordination just to ensure others aren’t double-dipping,” she said.
Frizzell called the outcome “disappointing” and said that future decisions need to be made in line with the information put out by the city so that some applicants aren’t essentially disallowed after the fact.
Here is the final list of recipients from the program who will receive the same amount in both 2025 and 2026:
- Alban Classical Artists Society: $5,000
- Omineca Arts Centre: $10,000
- Prince George Conservatory of Music: $7,500
- Prince George & District Music Festival: $7,076
- Trinity United Church/Knox Performance Centre: $10,000
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern BC: $10,000
- Carney Hill Neighbourhood Centre Society: $20,000
- Northern Community Counselling Centre Society: $15,000
- Prince George & District Senior Citizens Activity Centre Society: $10,000
- Engage Sport North: $5,000
- Hart Highlands Winter Club: $10,000
- Prince George Agricultural and Historical Association: $5,000
- Prince George Recycling & Environmental Action Planning Society (REAPS): $7,000.
