Call for Independent Inquiry into Vancouver's Sponsorship Program

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1. Call For Independent Inquiry Into Vancouver's Sponsorship Program (File 2151)

MOVED by Councillor Sullivan
SECONDED by Councillor Ladner

WHEREAS,

The City of Vancouver has established a grant program in which trained and competent staff review applications for sponsorship from non-profit groups and conduct due diligence to ensure that citizens of Vancouver receive the benefits from these sponsorship dollars.

The recent "celebration" grants program featured a panel of 5 highly regarded community volunteers who spent significant amounts of personal time aiding our staff in their recommendations.

There is a reconsideration process in place to provide an opportunity for applicants whose requests were rejected by staff to appeal to Council with arguments as to why they should receive funding. These appeals for reconsideration take place in public to ensure there is proper and transparent process for disbursement of public funds.

During the April 8^th community service grants reconsideration meeting, no delegations publicly presented any rationale as to why they should have their grants reconsidered.

Staff recommended in their report to Council that Council should not grant sponsorship money to a number of organizations that do not provide adequate service or were outside the mandate for Council grants, yet those organizations received money under the reconsideration process.
Some organizations that were deemed by staff to provide significant benefits to the city, and who should be funded if money were available, did not receive communications advising them of Council's intention of funding all applicants and so were excluded from the reconsideration process.

City Councillors made comments at the reconsideration meeting that indicated Councillors were communicating with a number of the organizations.

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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT,

Staff report back on the creation of an independent inquiry to determine the following:

· Did Council knowingly approve giving public funds to groups that:
· do not adequately provide services they claim to provide;
· whose services fall outside the mandate of city council funding;
· charge out at rates staff believe are unreasonable;
· do not have the organizational capacity to provide the services they

claim to provide.

· Did any Councillors or representatives of Councillors communicate with groups staff considered ineligible for sponsorship about Council's intention to approve all requests and not communicate the same information to eligible and worthy groups.
· What actions can Council take to restore confidence in our sponsorship programs.

Notice

Councillor Stevenson called Notice under Section 5.4(c) of the Procedure By-law. The Motion will be considered at the next Regular Council meeting which will be held Thursday, May 6 immediately following the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting.