With the recent announcement of the Community Gaming Grant Review session coming to Williams Lake, I wanted to take this chance to encourage everyone with a vested interest to attend.
Providing feedback to Skip Triplett and his team will help ensure a complete and thorough process and provide assurances that all is being done to make sure gaming grants are reviewed and evaluated properly from top to bottom.
The tour will make its way to Williams Lake on Thursday, Aug.18, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Pioneer Complex located at 351 Hodgson Rd.
If you can’t make it down in person, there is an online option so you can still contribute your thoughts, ideas, and input. You can view the online option at http://www.communitygaminggrantreview.gov.bc.ca/. The areas being focused on include:
• Existing legislation governing community gaming grant funding.
• The funding formula
• Criteria/eligibility for community gaming grants
• Processes involved with applying for and receiving community gaming grants
• A multi-year funding model
• The future role of government in community gaming grants
This process honours Premier Christy Clark’s promise to take a look at gaming grants, recognizing how important they are to organizations and communities across the province. We are fortunate in Williams Lake to have organizations that provide opportunities for families to participate in. Gaming grants are critical to the success of youth sports, arts and culture groups, and many other local groups. While we are talking about these great organizations I want to thank everyone who works so hard to ensure that valuable programs continue to be offered in our community.
So please be sure to involve yourself in this process so we can see an improved gaming grants program here in British Columbia that will continue to support organizations that keep out communities vibrant.
Donna Barnett is the Liberal MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin.