Time is ripe to bring United Way to town, say organizers
Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Apr 11/01) - Efforts to bring the United Way to town are under way but it doesn't look like the territorial government is very eager to jump on board.
After months of planning and discussion, organizers have begun approaching big employers, including the territorial government, to win support for payroll deductions, a method they hope will be the main way of raising funds.
Finance Minister Joe Handley is cool to the idea of civil service payroll deductions, at least for now. He said he wants to see the organization succeed first, without having to rely on the government.
"I recommend they go ahead and set up a United Way, and come to us after for payroll deductions," Handley said.
He doesn't want government to have a role in determining the success or failure of the organization in Yellowknife.
Handley also said, "It would be a concern if we started to have a flood of organizations all wanting payroll deductions."
Organizing Committee member Roslyn Smith says the United Way is the only organization permitted payroll deductions in the federal and provincial civil services.
New blood brings new drive
Two previous attempts to start a United Way in the city were abandoned, the latest in 1992. Timing back then wasn't ideal with the Giant mine strike and generous government programs, said United Way organizer Judy McLinton.
"There's more initiative by people, now that they know the government isn't as involved in our lives."
Another reason for lukewarm United Way support a decade ago was "concern that the government would bring down their level of funding as a result, but that happened anyway," McLinton said.
A Yellowknife United Way would tap into GNWT's payroll for automatic deductions, but a government spokesperson said it's not a simple process.
"The government has a number of different payroll offices," said Sylvia Haener, labour relations director for the Financial Management Board Secretariat.
Coding computer systems to do the deductions is relatively easy, said Haener, compared to manpower needed to re-balance the books each payday, get information from each employee on how much to deduct, and forward funds to the United Way. Haener said she didn't know how much all that would cost.
In Canada, 125 communities have United Ways.
