Council debates how to spend summer camp funding, again
Apparent confusion over whether city would hire more staff or provide funds to NWT Disabilities Council
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
There was confusion at Monday's municipal services committee meeting over how to spend money earmarked to help children with disabilities attend summer day camps.
Denise McKee, executive director of the NWT Disabilities Council, speaks at a municipal services committee meeting Monday seeking clarification about funding for a trained support worker to help children with disabilities attend summer camps held by the city. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
City councillors expressed support to using budgeted funds to hire workers to help children with special needs attend summer camps, though several questions remain unanswered on how the money will be allocated.
The discussion at Monday's municipal services committee meeting followed a presentation by NWT Disabilities Council executive director Denise McKee.
"Access to recreational programming is an absolute necessity to achieve full social inclusion," she said, reading a letter signed by the NWT Disabilities Council board of directors chairperson Terry Hawkins.
In the letter, Hawkins asked the city to provide funds to council for its Experience Summer Program, which includes a summer camp that supports about 20 children per year.
Last year, the city reduced a grant to the Disabilities Council, prompting McKee to say the city was putting itself at risk if it isn't accommodating children with disabilities.
So, the city inserted $25,000 in its budget, which states the funds would be to hire trained workers for the municipality's summer day camp programs.
Grant White, the city's director of community services, said staff went back to the original council discussion and approval of adding funds to the budget.
"The assumption was made that this was simply for additional funding for the program division to hire additional trained staff to hit the target," White said.
But that didn't appear to line up with what councillors understood.
"I think it was misunderstood from the beginning," Coun. Linda Bussey said, adding their motion was unclear about what direction council wanted to go.
She said she advocated to provide the funding directly to the NWT Disabilities Council.
Coun. Julian Morse also said his understanding was that the funds would go to the Disabilities Council.
"I think it's more efficient for the city to contract this out than try and re-invent the wheel," he said.
Acting senior administrative officer Dennis Kefalas told councillors the key question was whether the city would provide the Disabilities Council the funds for its own summer camp, or contract it to provide support workers for the city's summer camps.
While several councillors initially supported directing the funds to the Disabilities Council, the direction shifted after Coun. Niels Konge urged council to carry out a competitive process to select the recipient.
As a result, city council will vote on Monday on whether to direct staff to go out for expressions of interest for the provision of trained workers to assist children attending the city's summer day camp program, according to city spokesperson Nalini Naidoo.
