Cindy MacDougall
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Feb 23/00) - Nine community groups out of 13 who requested special grants from the city can expect to receive funding.

Council's corporate services committee met for more than four hours Tuesday to decide which groups will receive city funding, and how much money each would get.

Committee members recommended grants totalling $73,200, with an average grant of $6,000. Their recommendations will be forwarded to the Feb. 28 council meeting for approval.

With only $100,000 to give, and more than $400,000 worth of requests, most groups received less than what they sought.

St. John Ambulance, for example, requested $45,000 to make up for lost government funding. They received $10,000.

"I think we're better to provide lesser amounts to all or most groups, instead of blessing some groups with the full amount and running out of money," said Councillor David McCann.

Most groups will be asked to fund-raise for themselves, but some will only get city money if they raise matching amounts.

The Yellowknife Tennis Association's Ndilo tennis program, for example, will only get its $5,000 if it raises the same amount from different sources.

Four groups were rejected outright, including the NWT Council for Disabled Persons, which had asked for $75,000 in order to improve accessibility around the city.

"We feel that's not within the city's jurisdiction and should be funded by the GNWT," said Coun. Alan Woytuik.

Other groups that were left off the list were the Neshda Day Care Association, NWT Tennis Association and the Sir John Franklin high school music exchange trip to Toronto this spring.

Only three groups, the Yellowknife Dog Derby Association, Folk on the Rocks and the Yellowknife Ski Club, received the total amount they requested. The dog derby requested $6,000 for costs, the music festival $6,250 for a new gate, and the ski club about $4,000 for a new snow tool.

"This is something we have to support," said Mayor David Lovell about the derby.

"A bunch of community members sat down and put it back together after the Rotary pulled out."

Not all groups received under $10,000. The committee decided to sponsor a hole at the Yellowknife Golf Club to the tune of $25,000.

Lovell said the golf club is on par with other sports complexes in the city, but does not receive core funding like the curling or ski clubs.

"This is very little money compared to what the others have received from us," he said.

The committee will hear further requests for the remaining $26,800 this fall.