Mission council signed off on $331,800 in grants at the final council session of the year Monday night (Dec. 19).
The council approved $78,500 in community enhancement grants, $24,640 in special events grants and $228,660 in fee for service grants. The Mission District Historical Society accounted for just over 25 per cent of the total funding, taking in an $86,118 fee for service grant — the largest allocation of the night.
The Mission Alano Club received the biggest community enhancement grant at $12,000 while the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 57 and Mission Arts Council took in the highest special events grants at $5,000 each.
The $3,000 community enhancement grant for the Youth Action Group (YAG) Leadership and Advocacy Society was the lone recommendation not carried by council. Councillor Danny Plecas sought clarification on the organization’s function, and a motion of deferral on funding for YAG passed.
According to their website, YAG was founded in 2021 with the main objective to “create avenues for youth to advocate for what they believe in while also giving them the appropriate resources to help fund their initiatives.” After the council’s deferral, the nonprofit will be asked to share more about their purpose with council.
Meanwhile, the Kara-Kata Afrobeat Society of Canada received a recommendation of zero dollars from the Municipally Funded Grant Committee.
“They do not have a presence in Mission,” the grant committee said in a council attachment. “The applicant’s proposed farm is outside the City of Mission boundaries and no directors live within the City of Mission. In addition, the Committee noted that the application was overly broad, incorporating several initiatives.”
The Mission Hospice Society’s $3,000 dollar grant was approved separately due to Councillor Angel Elias’s conflict of interest as executive director of the organization. Elias recused herself and the vote was carried unanimously by the rest of council. The grant also included the stipulation that the funds are to be used solely for the purpose of supplying comforts at the Christine Morrison Hospice.
The Mission Folk Music Festival will receive 25 per cent of the grant funding when each of the four planned concerts end. Glen Kask of the Municipally Funded Grant Comittee said the folk festival applied in 2018 but didn’t carry out the events, so the city wants to make sure they put on the events before sending the money.
The allocated funds for special events grants were $6,823 under budget, and $869 was transferred from that account to the over-budget community enhancement grant account to ensure funding. The remaining $5,954 was given to the Mission Downtown Business Association for MissionFest 2023.
Community enhancement grants were awarded to Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited ($7,000), Hope Central ($11,000), Mission Alano Club ($12,000), Mission Artists Association ($1,000), Mission City Farmers Market ($2,500), Mission Folk Music Festival ($9,000), Mission Friendship Centre Society ($2,500), Mission Hospice Society ($3,000), Mission Literacy in Motion ($6,000), National Family Support & Restoration Society ($4,500), Opening Nite Theatre Society ($9,000) , Optimist Club of Mission ($2,500), Silverdale Community Centre ($4,000), Rotary Club of Mission’s Starfish Backpack Program ($500) and Steelhead Community Association ($4,000).
Community event and special event grants were awarded to Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited’s ‘Pulling Together: The Caring Connected Adult’ ($2,500), Mission Arts Council’s ‘Arts Alive Tour’ ($5,000), Mission Environmental Stewardship Society’s ‘Green Living’ ($3,640), Mission Friendship Centre Society’s ‘Truth and Reconciliation Day – Orange Shirt Day’ ($2,500), Mission Literacy in Motion’s ‘Riot of Reading and Family Fun Night’ ($4,000), Mission Seniors Centre Association’s ‘Seniors Week’ ($2,000) and Royal Canadian Legion’s Remembrance Day ($5,000).
Fee for service grants were awarded to Fraser Valley Humane Society ($29,302), Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited ($26,506), Lifetime Learning Centre Society ($10,357), Mission Arts Council ($30,000), Mission Association for Seniors Housing ($3,355), Mission District Historical Society ($86,118), Mission Environmental Stewardship Society ($38,000) and Mission Search & Rescue ($5,022 ).
@dillon_white
dillon.white@missioncityrecord.com
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