Ms. Kathie Landry

Government funding for immigrant services in B.C. is inconsistent and flawed, says Kathie Landry."The government's whole funding process seems so flawed and unethical, really," said Landry, executive co-ordinator and settlement co-ordinator for Campbell River's Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association (MISA), which provides advisory and support services for immigrants to Campbell River, particularly those who do not speak English."If this is the way they award the funds, it almost seems better to not bother applying."Landry is concerned be-cause last year, MISA was forced to bid against its Courtenay counterpart, the Comox Valley Family Services society, for operational funding in a new bidding system put into place by the provincial government.To receive funding, the non-profit society was forced to use the same bidding process as contractors bidding on government construction projects or service contracts.For MISA, the new process meant there was less funding available and more work to get the money it needs to keep its doors open.However, the government recently provided transitional funding for immigrant settlement service organizations, including Courtenay, that lost out in the bidding process.The transitional funding will allow the unsuccessful organizations to operate at the same funding levels as last year until June.Landry doesn't think that's fair when her organization is looking at signing an 18-month contract for significantly reduced funding.MISA has had to make budget cuts resulting in layoffs, increased workloads for remaining employees and decreased services for immigrants."I don't begrudge Courtenay - I'm glad they're not closing down," Landry said."But where's the methodology behind all this?"
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However, Landry said she was confused and angered by Wong's response, particularly the minister of state's assertions that budgets for immigrant settlements and ESL programs have not been reduced."This is an absolute untruth," she said in a letter to the Mirror."Information provided by MCAWS (Ministry of Children, Aboriginal and Women's Services) indicates a reduction of $1 million from the 2003-2004 fiscal year to the 2004-2005 fiscal year.The government has also redistributed funds, directing a greater percentage to the Lower Mainland, with the result being a reduction of 14 per cent to Vancouver Island in the previous year.The North Island budget was reduced to almost 30 per cent from the amount allocated the previous year."Under the government's new funding model for immigrant services, which has always required them to apply each year for funding, communities eligible to apply for funding were reorganized into regions, lumping Campbell River and Courtenay into a North Island designation.Landry said the total funding available for the entire region was about the same amount Campbell River alone received last year.

Kathie Landry Service Coordinator Member since 2008-07-22

Phone: 287-3557 830-1189

"It has just thrown havoc into the sector and just really caused a lot of trauma," said Kathie Landry, executive co-ordinator and settlement co-ordinator with the Campbell River and area Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association (MISA)."It's similar to the Women's Centre - can we possibly keep our doors open?That's going to be a challenge."This summer, the government made it mandatory for many non-profit groups such as Campbell River and Courtenay's MISA organizations to bid for government funding through the same bidding process used by companies to bid on government-funded projects.That lumps non-profit societies in with road construction projects, vehicle sales and retail kiosks at SkyTrain stations, to name just some of the va. The problem with the bidding process, Landry said, is that it was completely alien to the small non-profit society, which used to apply annually for funding but never in a competitive bidding process."It's a very, very different process than we've had to compete in before and it's an extremely rigid method of applying for funding that is not at all designed for not-for-profit societies," she said.Even worse, she said, Campbell River and Courtenay MISA organizations were forced to bid against each other for a limited amount of money."The budgets were lowered and there were designated amounts for regions.The North Island's budget was 30 per cent lower than what we'd received the previous year.The total amount allocated for Courtenay and Campbell River was about the amount that we (Campbell River alone) had received the previous year," she said."We were actually bidding against Courtenay."Campbell River won the bidding process.However, Landry is glad to see the Courtenay organization isn't closing its doors."They are going to extend their contract at a reduced rate for another six months," she said.

Kathie Landry, Executive Coordinator #202 - 437 10th Avenue Phone: 830-0171

(Ms. Kathie Landry)

Kathie Landry Ph.: 250-287-3557 Fax: 250-830-1189 e-mail: kathie@newemployee.ca