Shane Judge discusses alternative funding to strengthen neighbourhoods.
We welcome his idea of sharing a portion of the casino slot proceeds with the crime prevention council to invest in neighbourhood projects.
As a news reporter, Mr. Judge should be aware of the closure of all local bingo halls except one after the Thunder Bay Charity Casino opened downtown in 2000.
Various groups including our Multicultural Youth Centre were adversely impacted by the Casino. We lost revenue from fundraising bingos which had sustained our operations, and served as collateral to secure grants from other potential funders.
The city as a host community gets the gaming windfall, but does not share the proceeds with local charities or compensate community groups affected by lost bingo revenue.
The Regional Multicultural Youth Council's request to pool some of the Casino windfall and support local charities and not-for-profit groups to stabilize their operations went nowhere.
Consequently, local organizations involved in neighbourhood development projects, safer community initiatives, after-school activities, recreation programs, services to address the needs of newcomers and First Nations migrants from reserves, and so forth were forced to scale down their work or fold altogether due to lost Monte Carlo and bingo revenue.
We believe that supporting grassroots projects and strengthening neighbourhood groups will engage more ordinary citizens in activities that make a difference.
Mr. Judge's idea to provide the Crime Prevention Council with Casino slot revenue to sponsor programs and community groups that focus on neighbourhoods will provide stabilizing influence to enhance and sustain their basic operations that will make our community better and safer.
In fact, The Thunder Bay Children's Charter Coalition should be added to the list of community groups that deserve funding to improve the well-being of children and youth.
Troubled kids today become broken adults and parents of tomorrow, and unless we can intervene now, the cycle will continue to expand.
2014 marked ten years since the Thunder Bay Children's Charter was adopted by City Council (June 14, 2004).
The coalition has not met for several years now, and with no funding to implement what the Thunder Bay children's charter was created to promote, we are no further ahead today.
We have members of our youth council from high risk neighbourhoods who want to organize positive activities for themselves and their peers to stay out of trouble, but with no funding, we cannot help them.
How can we create a safer and healthier community when local groups working to improve the lives of those at risk and help the vulnerable are not adequately supported by City Hall?
Mr. Judge's idea to invest in local programs and engage neighbourhood groups is worth a try.
'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'.
Samantha Smith, RMYC President ;
Moffat Makuto, Multicultural Youth Centre
