The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development:
Mr. Speaker, this morning I was pleased to join the Honourable Premier as we announced 22 organizations, representing a broad cross-section of society, have been selected to participate in phase one of multi-year funding.
This announcement follows through on the commitment made in The Way Forward to deliver one-window, multi-year funding in a phased approach for community groups. In our province, these groups touch the lives of many of our citizens through the hands-on work they carry out every day.
Mr. Speaker, through this process we will provide funding for three years up to $20 million maximum per year in total to selected community groups and each group will have just one point of access.
By initially moving forward with these 22 community groups as part of phase one, we can approach this initiative in a fiscally-responsible way. All these groups have clear social mandates that directly benefit individuals in need and they have solid records of financial and program delivery effectiveness.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that once we have completed a full evaluation of phase one, we will be able to extend multi-year funding to more community groups in the future. It is our intent that this process will result in more stability for community organizations and assist them in longer-term planning. This multi-year funding approach will allow them to focus less on writing yearly applications and more on the incredible work they do.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.