SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Volunteer NWT, an organization that advocated for the territory's volunteer sector, closed last Monday due to a lack of government funding.

"We were trying to get set up as a central voice for the volunteer sector and unfortunately without funding, you can't do that," said Bill Graham, chairman of Volunteer NWT.

Volunteer NWT has shut down after serving as a voice for the NWT voluntary sector for nearly five years. "You can't run an NWT-wide organization without some funding," says Bill Graham, chairman of Volunteer NWT. - Herb Mathisen/NNSL photo

The organization has acted as a voice for volunteers - with members from Fort Smith to Tuktoyaktuk - since its inception in December 2003.

Volunteer NWT ran training programs, put on more than 25 workshops, went into schools to give presentations and, in general, brought attention to issues affecting the voluntary sector.

"The sector, as a whole, is so busy trying to make its own individual organizations work, that they don't have the time or the resources to put work into an umbrella organization," said Graham.

Vivian Squires, executive director of the Yellowknife Seniors' Society, had not yet heard news of the closure.

"I'm speechless," she said, Friday afternoon. "That definitely will totally dry up a whole area that reaches out to the whole territory," said Squires.

"It's a total loss," she said. "Those are two amazing people," she continued, speaking about Graham and Volunteer NWT co-ordinator Aggie Brockman.

Squires said the organization regularly let her know what was happening around the territory regarding volunteer opportunities.

"If there is anything going on in Ottawa, (Aggie) sends us an e-mail," she added.

Graham estimated the organization's annual operating budget was somewhere around $150,000. That went towards employing a part-time co-ordinator, paying for members from across the NWT to travel to an annual meeting held in a different community each year, promotional materials and website maintenance.

The organization received funding from the Canada Volunteerism Initiative, a federal government program.

When that program was eliminated, the department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) provided the organization with $50,000 last year.

Glen Abernethy, MLA for Great Slave, encouraged MACA Minister Michael McLeod in the legislative assembly Friday to commit to meet with Volunteer NWT to work out a financial arrangement with the organization.

One of the 16th Legislative Assembly's stated priorities is to "Support a healthy and sustainable voluntary and not-for-profit sector."

McLeod said he met with the organization a few weeks ago. The $50,000 in GNWT funding, said McLeod, was to allow Volunteer NWT to seek out alternative sources of funding.

"We indicated to them that we are not in a position to core fund them, or pick up where the federal government cut the funding," said McLeod.

"From the government standpoint, we still think there still is a lot of merit in having an organization or a good support system in place," said McLeod.

He said a government committee would look at how it could possibly support Volunteer NWT or other organizations in the volunteer sector. He added the department is supporting its own volunteer initiatives.

"The minister (of MACA) was very good to us," said Graham. "He did as much as he could to support us."

Graham said one group, the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, offered Volunteer NWT about $80,000 in funding.

"To do the project properly, we needed $205,000," said Graham. He said he had to return to the foundation to show gratitude but explain that they could not operate with that amount.

"You can't run an NWT-wide organization without some funding," said Graham.