Nobody can blame the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee for doing its homework before it decides whether annual funding should be directed to Canada Day festivities in Polson Park.
After all, GVAC is entrusted with taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars and there are growing demands from the community for limited resources.
“The third party (organizers) should provide information on what they do and what they expect to spend,” said director Bob Fleming.
“When there is no information, we are operating in a vacuum.”
And while that is certainly the case, let’s hope that this request for more details isn’t simply a stalling tactic that ultimately leads to no funding.
All of the directors sitting around the table need to understand that Canada Day goes beyond boundaries and while the festivities take place in Vernon’s Polson Park, Coldstream and the two electoral areas do not host similar events and residents from those jurisdictions participate and attend the fun in the park.
Yes there are other special events in the community that don’t solicit direct taxpayer support, but often they have an organization behind the scenes, such as a business group or non-profit society with paid staff. In the case of Canada Day, it is truly a grassroots effort with a handful of people who volunteer their time for the betterment of the broader community and the nation.
A little help from GVAC, and the contribution recently has been $2,000 a year, could go a long way towards ensuring Canada Day activities are viable long-term.
Gather your facts and then wave the flag.
