Tag Archives: Cortes Grants in Aid

The Cortes Island Community Foundation is helping to review Grant-in Applications again. As in the past, the Strathcona Regional District Board will be dispersing a pool of approximately $25,000 to Cortes Island Social Profits. The average grant award is in the range of $1000 – $5000 and will be dispersed by end of 2024. This year’s Grant-in-Aid funding will prioritize projects supporting Arts, Culture or Environment. Any non-profits or charitable societies who wish to participate sust send their applications in by midnight on Monday, October 21.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie, Executive Director of the Community Foundation explained, “We are working to assist Regional Director Mark Vonesch and the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) with reviewing the grant and aid applications for this year. Most of the nonprofits on Cortes are quite familiar with the fact that we have a bit of our tax money that comes back to us for assisting community groups on the island.”

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Politics

SRD Considering a Grant-In Aid Policy; Directors Mawhinney, Whalley and Vonesch opposed

July 29, 2024 Roy Hales

The Strathcona Regional District Board SRD is considering amending the Grant in Aid process. A proposed ‘Financial Assistance to Organizations’ policy from 2021 is being considered. Regional Directors Gerald Whalley from Area A, Robyn Mawhinney from Area C and Mark Vonesch from Area B (Cortes Island) voted in opposition, but were defeated.

The associated staff report refers to a recent grant in aid to the Cortes Island School, questions the relationship between the school and Parent Advisory Council and asks whether the funds being requested should actually have come from School District 72.

The policy brought forward in 2021 proposed that in the future:

Applications must be submitted directly to the SRD’s Financial Officer.
Only registered non-profits can apply.
The funds are not to be used for core funding, operating costs, wages, insurance or multi-year funding etc.
Applicants must include a written statement indicating how the grant-in-aid will benefit the community.
The board will give preference to applications that do not exceed $5,000.

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Finances, Politics

Cortes Island matters at EASC’s Inaugural Meeting

January 12, 2023 Roy Hales

A number of Cortes Island matters were discussed at the new Electoral Areas Service Committee’s (EASC) Inaugural meeting. This is a special committee made up of the four Strathcona Regional District rural directors and the first stop before their concerns are brought before the full board. The initial discussion of Cortes Island’s proposed Grants in Aid; a Whaletown Community Club request for funding to install a wheelchair ramp at the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery; and a proposed staff report about liveaboards: were all on the agenda today. As expected Gerald Whalley, the only director to have previously served on the Board, was elected Chair. The big news is that Cortes Island Director Mark Vonesch has been elected Vice Chair.

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Finances

Where did Cortes Island’s property tax dollars go in 2021?

February 14, 2022 Roy Hales

How our local government works – Part 1 of 5 from the Feb 5 SRD Board Meeting

The proposed budget for 2022 was one of the principle topics at the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board Meeting on Wednesday, February 9th. Part of this process involved looking into the finances for 2021. So in the first of a five part series arising from that meeting, Cortes Currents is looking into how the SRD is spending the portion of our tax dollars under their control.

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