BARB BROUWER
Black Press
Literacy groups are hoping a large dollop of provincial optimism will translate into restoration of funding.
“I’m advised by the minister that there will be funding restored to Decoda and Decoda, in due course, will restore funding across the province,” said Shuswap MLA George Abbott.
“But it’s not up to me to relay the happy news.”
Vernon’s Junction Literacy Centre is one of 55 B.C. groups whose literacy funding was cut March 1 by $30,000. Decoda is a provincial organization that receives funds from the province and provides it to non-profits.
Definitive “happy news” was not forthcoming from the Ministry of Education either.
Instead, the ministry provided a partial transcript of an interview Education Minister Don McRae gave, in which he indicated most of the ministry’s $5.3 billion budget goes directly to school districts.
“But I said we would do our very best internally to find some savings and efficiencies and see if we could find another $1 million for Decoda,” McRae said.
McRae said that wouldn’t happen until year-end (at the end of March), when the minister of finance will know how many year-end dollars remain in the contingency budget.
“I’ve been working diligently, and I’m very confident that I’ll find the $1 million to make sure we do that, and I actually expressed that to Decoda last Friday when I talked to them in person.”
Asked when he would be able to make an announcement, McRae referred to year-end dollars.
“I certainly don’t want to make decisions that are going to impact on our core services, which is obviously providing the K-to-12 public education system,” he said.
“You know, I said I’m fairly confident that we can find the dollars, and I expect the dollars to be there for Decoda, because I think they do outstanding work in communities large and small across the province.”
