Page A1, The NEWS, March 2: Family place funding — services face cuts.
The $35,000 annual funding received by Parksville’s BLT program for the last three years has been pulled.
Last year, the province reduced the funding to Vancouver’s literacy program (Decoda) from $2.5 million to $1 million.
Decoda made up the shortfall last year but was unable to make it up this year (hence the “devastating” loss of funding for BLT).
Page A3, The NEWS, March 21: $2 million for 800 metres of Highway 19A.
Parksville city council awarded a contract to upgrade about 800 metres of Highway 19A. This project had “been planned for years but became a higher priority due to traffic concerns around the new Family Place building.”
I wonder:
• Where did the money come from for the new Family Place building?
• With the funding cut to Decoda last year, did BLT not get a heads up that their funding was at risk this year?
• Why a new building at this “devastating” time?
• Since the funding is jeopardizing BLT, will the upgrades to Highway 19A be needed at this time?
• Would it have been better to have put off the expensive upgrades in order to fund the BLT program?
Or, can Parksville afford to do both?
April McKenna
Qualicum Beach
