qathet Regional District board has postponed a decision regarding allocation of two grants to Lasqueti Island programs and projects from the general grants-in-aid fund.
At the June 28 regional board meeting, Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall advocated for $10,000 grant to the Lasqueti Community Association for its layered histories – cultural heritage project, and $2,445 to the Lasqueti Island Nature Conservancy for the landowner stewardship program from the general grants-in-aid. The general grants-in-aid service is paid for by all electoral areas and City of Powell River.
Fall said Lasqueti taxpayers have contributed more than $22,000 over recent years to the general grants-in-aid service, but has not received any direct benefits from this service.
“That said, we need to consider regional benefits broadly, both geographically and over time, so we can collectively provide the highest benefit to our residents.
“These two projects have regional benefits. The layered history project is fundamentally about reconciliation. Creating an accessible archive of the layered and intertwined Indigenous and non-Indigenous history of a place poses many challenges, including how to handle sensitive traditional knowledge.”
Fall said the landowner stewardship program will provide a template for private land conservation, the coastal Douglas fir and associated coastal ecosystems.
“Only a few per cent of these areas remain intact and the large majority of it is in private ownership,” said Fall. “Over half has been converted to non-forests.”
Fall said the template could be applied elsewhere to the benefit of the region as a whole.
“I ask for your support for these two applications,” said Fall.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said Fall had brought up the matter of fair tax equity, and he agreed with Fall.
“There have been many years that Lasqueti has paid into general grant-in-aid,” said Fall. “Should this be postponed to the next finance committee meeting to get more detailed figures on Lasqueti Island? I don’t know if I have enough information that has been vetted by staff, but I do have full confidence in director Fall’s mathematical ability.”
City director Cindy Elliott said she supported Fall’s concept, but she wanted to make a motion about the Outdoor Recreation Users Group (ORUG) that would be granted from the same pot of money as the Lasqueti projects.
“While I totally support the project, I don’t want to compromise the ability to do other important things,” said Elliott. “There needs to be money for ORUG as well. I suggest we wait on this one until we can come to a better understanding of some of the other important projects.”
City director George Doubt said he had been prepared to bring two motions to the meeting about Lift Community Services $50,000 grant request, and also for ORUG. He said if the Lasqueti motions were approved, he was not sure the funding would be there for the other projects.
Fall asked for an accounting of general grants-in-aid funds. Assistant manager of financial service Jason Kouwenhoven said the general grant-in-aid had $60,555 if all the other requests before the regional board were passed.
“That should be sufficient for the ORUG request,” said Kouwenhoven.
Fall said ORUG had asked for a $58,000 grant so there were adequate funds in the reserve for ORUG.
Electoral Area C director and board chair Clay Brander said he was in support of the Lasqueti motions and there was sufficient money in the general grants-in-aid for ORUG, if the board wanted to consider that allocation.
Gisborne said the Lasqueti projects were a weighted vote, and rather than the motions being defeated, he would like the matter referred back to the finance committee for further consideration.
Doubt made a motion to postpone the decision on the Lasqueti motions until after the finance committee has made a determination regarding Lift and ORUG.
The motion carried, with Fall opposed. The discussion about the Lasqueti grants is on the agenda for the July 5 finance committee meeting, along with the Lift and ORUG applications.
