April 12, 2011
File Number: GF/T-1-2011
Via e-mail: Ziegler@saturnanet.net SIPOA@saturnanet.net
Bernie Ziegler and Ron Hall
Saturna Island Property Owners Association
PO Box 27
Saturna Island BC V0N 2Y0
Dear Bernie Ziegler and Ron Hall:
Re: March 2011 Islands Trust Council Delegation
Thank you for your presentation to the Islands Trust Council on Galiano Island, regarding the proposed Islands Trust budget for 2011-2012.
In response to the questions posed in your delegation submission, please see your questions and our answers below.
1.
How many of the proposed projects originated with a grantor?
None. They are all driven by proposals which originate with resolutions made at public meetings of local trust committees or Trust Council and its committees. In fiscal 2009/10 there were eight service contracts to complete five projects supported by five funders: Service Canada, the Union of BC Municipalities, the Real Estate Foundation of BC, Solar BC and the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. The guidelines for those funds are available at their web-sites.
2. Are bids for these various projects advertised openly and above board?
All expenditures for goods and services must follow the funder’s guidelines and the Islands Trust purchasing policy, which defines the thresholds for conducting competitive processes. In fiscal 2009/10 Islands Trust conducted 15 competitive processes involving Requests for Proposals. To view the Islands Trust Purchasing Policy follow this link: http://islandstrust.bc.ca/tc/pdf/tcpol6-5-iiisep162010.pdf
3. Will the grantor benefit once these projects are put into place?
Grantors to the Islands Trust are foundations and government agencies, with specific socio-economic or environmental mandates. The only benefit they receive from the projects they fund is the completion of projects that are consistent with their mandate.
4. Are most grants a one-off or is there a commitment for renewal?
To date, all grants have been for specific one-time projects with no commitment for ongoing funding.
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April 12, 2011
Bernie Ziegler and Ron Hall
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5. Once an additional set of regulations has been eased in with grant money, how are additional
requirements financed?
If there are ongoing costs for an activity that was originally funded with a grant, then the ongoing
costs would be funded through a budget proposal to Trust Council. We cannot think of any
examples of this occurring, as the grants usually cover a project with a specific beginning and
ending.
6. Are these proposals costed out?
If you mean, is there a detailed budget with each proposal to a funder, the answer is yes.
Funders require detailed cost projections before approving projects and require detailed
financial reports before issuing final cheques.
7. Has their effectiveness been evaluated by an independent body?
If you are referring to the effectiveness of the grants program, we have not sought external
evaluation. Our internal evaluation showed the program to be successful far beyond our
expectations when we created the position. A position costing tax payers $40,000 per year (plus
occasional overtime) has raised over $230,000 for the Trust Area in the last two years.
The grant program is guided by policies that prevent the kind of conflict of interest or other misuse of
political authority that concerns us all. Please see the purchasing policy linked above and the grants
administration policy here: http://www.islandstrust.bc.ca/tc/pdf/tcpol6-5-ivdec092009.pdf
Finally, in regard to your request for greater transparency for contracts valued under $25,000, please
note that the wording from the Financial Information Act report may be slightly misleading since the
$882,824.40 that you reference as non-itemized contracts in fiscal 2009/10 includes all payments to all
suppliers of goods or services where the total payment to a supplier in the year was less than $25,000.
The amount includes payments for minute takers, hall rentals, janitorial service, office supplies etc,
along with payments to contractors. If you wish to pursue this, please submit a freedom of information
request and we will respond under the related guidelines.
Thank you again for your interest in the Islands Trust budget and for the effort you made to attend and
contribute to the March meeting of the Islands Trust Council.
Yours sincerely,
Sheila Malcolmson
Chair, Islands Trust Council
pc: Saturna Island Local Trust Committee