On April 11 council agenda there is a report presenting the community group affiliation policy and user fee and subsidization policy.  It is a lengthy report title but entirely appropriate as the three policies are all connected.  Community group affiliation policy is new; it was presented at a working session in the recent past. I am very supportive of the goal of standardizing the criteria for establishing the designation of affiliated community groups with a transparent process. By that I mean It should be very clear why one group is designated as such, or what is required to be designated as such. As being designated a group will be eligible for subsidy it is very important that there is fair and equitable support to community organizations.  Having been involved with a couple community groups I understand there is confusion/misunderstanding as to how much the municipality will support a group; Hence I’m very pleased that such is now being identifiedI will admit that I was somewhat taken aback by the eligibility criteria for being designated as an affiliated group but as I thought about the benefits of being affiliated, I realized that it needs to be more than “a handshake” or a simple e-mail saying your group is now affiliated. An affiliated group will have access to municipal facilities at a subsidised rate.  Those rates have been determined with an expectation of a high percentage of cost recovery there will be loss of revenue. Also affiliate groups will have access to training opportunities and free access to rooms for planning purposes. Hence the decision to give affiliation status needs to be done with appropriate review.

As reviewed in the report we are very rich in King in terms of our community groups. There are 30- 40 established community organisations in King.  Each exists for various reasons but I believe the fundamental reason for existing is that these groups want to provide something which is not being offered by the municipality and which requires more than one family. The “something” includes activities  which enrich the lives of the participants. Accordingly, I think it’s very important at the municipality provides the kind of support being offered under the affiliation policy which includes subsidies, free meeting space for planning meetings and some training opportunities.

I look forward to hearing from the public either at the council meeting on Tuesday or by reaching out to me directly or by comments on this blog.

The Council chambers are open to the public once again.   To make a deputation (either in person or virtually) register with the Clerk by noon Tuesday, April 11 at clerks@king.ca.  You can also email your questions or comments on same timing to clerks@king.ca and they will be circulated to Council and appropriate Staff.