Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Committee for Persons with Disabilities has been operating in Hay River since May of 1994. In 2005 they opened an office and in 2008 they began operating a handi-van service, offering people with disabilities access to public transit. They have a governing board and are a non-profit organization operating on donations, fundraising and NGO funding from the GNWT.
The committee provides assistance to people with disabilities in areas such as acquiring adequate housing, locating employment, educational programs, social activities, income support assistance and family support. The committee office is open daily, operating with one part-time staff member and numerous volunteers working countless hours year after year. With the stability of the Hay River Committee for Persons with Disabilities, services and support are readily available in our community.
Funding has become a difficult process for non-government organizations. A small non-profit organization such as the Committee for Persons with Disabilities cannot carry the cost of operation without GNWT assistance. Last spring the committee found it necessary to cease services, as their proposal for new year funding was delayed in being reviewed and approved. Although the office was closed for three months, committee members did remain actively involved, volunteering, checking for messages and assisting their clients.
In previous years the committee received multi-year funding. What used to be a three-year contract is now a one-year agreement, which was not approved or received until halfway through the year. As a result, line item spending was deferred to other expenses and then declined upon submission. For instance, in not having the funds to retain their half-time employee, laying her off accrued a certain amount of dollars in that section of their budget. When they applied to have the re-hired person work increased hours for the remainder of the year, their request was denied. Another unforeseen change was requested on an expense adjustment and was denied. As a result, there will be thousands of dollars in their budget which could have been utilized. They will leave that money on the table.
While we need to ensure accountability when providing funding to non-government organizations, there needs to be some flexibility to allow them to access funding that was approved for them. If they need to make changes, we need to accommodate those requests wherever reasonably possible.
There are two things here to consider: the Committee for Persons with Disabilities in Hay River needs to be on multi-year funding. They do not have the manpower to prepare proposals every few months.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
We need to be more flexible in understanding and processing budget expenses for this committee. We need to appreciate the time and energy that our volunteers have put into organizing and operating NGOs. They are not usually qualified accountants; these are volunteers and we need to be flexible in approving their requests. Without these organizations in our communities, we would not have any of the services they provide.
I would like to extend my thanks to the many volunteers who operate NGOs in our communities and in Hay River. We need you and we appreciate you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
