A buddy forwarded this report from the Peace Arch News which serves White Rock and South Surrey. Just in case you wondered where the savings in spending come from - there can be no doubt about Conservative priorities here. The local MP, Russ Hiebert, has a severe case of Harper brown nose; only if the local population can make the government publicly embarrassed enough will there be some money that may save the summer camp for disabled program.
Camp A in jeopardy
By Brooke Larsen
Staff Reporter
Jan 12 2007
Camp Alexandra may close its summer programs in the wake of $55 million in federal spending cuts.
The Crescent Beach camp, which provides summer programs for low-income families, teen moms and the disabled, gets $25,000 to $30,000 a year to hire post-secondary students as camp counsellors and kitchen staff.
Last year, the camp hired eight students using $27,000 from the federal government, part of the camp’s $170,000 2006 budget.
But the Conservative government’s decision to cut spending to the Youth Employment Strategy by $55.4 million means there may be no funding for the camp this year.
Crescent Beach Community Services, the governing body for Camp Alexandra, will meet before February to decide the fate of the camp.
“This is a huge blow to the most vulnerable people in our community,” CBCS’ executive director Rennie Keates said.
“We have to decide in the short term if the program will go ahead this summer.”
More than 300 people attended the summer camps last year.
“For people with severe disabilities, this is the highlight of their year,” Keates said.
Reducing staff isn’t an option for the camp, which also gets funding through the United Way, fees and fundraising.
“The reality is, we provide camps for people with disabilities. We can’t reduce the staffing to a low level, because then we create a safety problem,” Keates said.
To make up for the lost funding, the camp would have to double its fees, which is out of the question, she said. The program for the mentally and physically disabled already costs $255 per person for a five-day camp.
“It’s a huge hike for someone who’s living on social assistance. We can’t raise the fees – they can’t afford to pay them.”
If the camp does close for the summer, Keates said it would be rented to private groups to fund other CBCS programs. The camp has received federal funding for 15 years and must apply for it each year, usually in February.
Keates didn’t know whether management would lose their jobs if the camp closed for the summer.
She wrote Peninsula MP Russ Hiebert asking for help but the Conservative MP said it’s too soon to know much federal cash the camp will get this year, since government is still retooling the program.
The new YES program, which has a budget of $355 million, will help at-risk youth find employment, Hiebert said.
Last summer, the YES program placed 50,000 Canadian youths in jobs.
Camp A in jeopardy
By Brooke Larsen
Staff Reporter
Jan 12 2007
Camp Alexandra may close its summer programs in the wake of $55 million in federal spending cuts.
The Crescent Beach camp, which provides summer programs for low-income families, teen moms and the disabled, gets $25,000 to $30,000 a year to hire post-secondary students as camp counsellors and kitchen staff.
Last year, the camp hired eight students using $27,000 from the federal government, part of the camp’s $170,000 2006 budget.
But the Conservative government’s decision to cut spending to the Youth Employment Strategy by $55.4 million means there may be no funding for the camp this year.
Crescent Beach Community Services, the governing body for Camp Alexandra, will meet before February to decide the fate of the camp.
“This is a huge blow to the most vulnerable people in our community,” CBCS’ executive director Rennie Keates said.
“We have to decide in the short term if the program will go ahead this summer.”
More than 300 people attended the summer camps last year.
“For people with severe disabilities, this is the highlight of their year,” Keates said.
Reducing staff isn’t an option for the camp, which also gets funding through the United Way, fees and fundraising.
“The reality is, we provide camps for people with disabilities. We can’t reduce the staffing to a low level, because then we create a safety problem,” Keates said.
To make up for the lost funding, the camp would have to double its fees, which is out of the question, she said. The program for the mentally and physically disabled already costs $255 per person for a five-day camp.
“It’s a huge hike for someone who’s living on social assistance. We can’t raise the fees – they can’t afford to pay them.”
If the camp does close for the summer, Keates said it would be rented to private groups to fund other CBCS programs. The camp has received federal funding for 15 years and must apply for it each year, usually in February.
Keates didn’t know whether management would lose their jobs if the camp closed for the summer.
She wrote Peninsula MP Russ Hiebert asking for help but the Conservative MP said it’s too soon to know much federal cash the camp will get this year, since government is still retooling the program.
The new YES program, which has a budget of $355 million, will help at-risk youth find employment, Hiebert said.
Last summer, the YES program placed 50,000 Canadian youths in jobs.
