[Fasd_canadian_link] Grant mess leaves Liberals fumbling: B.C.

[Elspeth Ross]

"...It soon came to light that Chong's ministry recently killed a 
program that aims to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome..."

Grant mess leaves Liberals fumbling
Lindsay Kines, Rob Shaw. Times - Colonist. Victoria, B.C.: Sep 20, 
2009. pg. A.3

Late Thursday morning, just after 11 a.m., the B.C. Liberal 
government issued a press release under the headline: "Communities 
Receive $55 Million in Local Priorities."

It was one of a half-dozen releases issued by the government's public 
affairs bureau that day. And it might have gone unnoticed, except 
that it included something the bureau has been claiming it can't 
produce: A list.

The release directed reporters to the ministry's website, where they 
could download a helpful, colour-coded chart of all the communities 
receiving money -- right down to the last dollar.

The list was sorted alphabetically -- apparently using computer 
software -- with different columns breaking down the sources of the money.

It was all quite interesting, given that government has been refusing 
to release a similar list of organizations who -- instead of 
receiving money -- have had their grants cut or eliminated.

The universal response from public-affairs officials has been that 
it's just not possible to do. They don't have the technology, or 
they've never done it before.

"Government does not provide information on those who did not receive 
grants," a document released by Environment Minister Barry Penner's 
communications staff said last week.

The Ministry of Housing and Social Development, meanwhile, rejected 
the Times Colonist's request for a breakdown of sport, arts and 
culture cuts under freedom of information laws. The reason? They lack 
the technology to provide such a list -- even though the ministry has 
Excel spreadsheets of grant recipients posted on its website.

The government's critics, however, don't buy the explanations.

If ministries can send rejection letters en masse to organizations 
around the province, they must have a list, said NDP housing critic 
Shane Simpson.

"It's unbelievable they can't get to the details of who they are 
giving money to," he said. "I just believe they are unwilling to 
provide that information at this point."

The absence of a single, comprehensive list meant the Opposition was 
able to hammer the Liberal government every day last week as news 
trickled out of one more cancelled grant or program.

It has proven a public-relations nightmare for government, and one 
that appears likely to continue.

"I think it's going to come out more and more in a death of a 
thousand cuts, versus one big discussion," said Simpson.

Healthy Living and Sport Minister Ida Chong bore the brunt of the 
Opposition's wrath over a $20-million cut to the public-health 
portion of her budget. She stumbled through a full-out attack in 
question period last week and then told reporters that most of the 
money was saved by wiping out discretionary money for "one-year pilot 
programs."

"I can tell you that some of the most critical programs for 
population and public health are being continued," Chong told reporters.

Without a list of cuts, however, reporters began going through her 
ministry's press releases from last year and checking to see if any 
of the programs had been slashed. It soon came to light that Chong's 
ministry recently killed a program that aims to prevent fetal alcohol 
syndrome -- a full year before it was slated to finish. The cut left 
health officials unable to evaluate the program's effectiveness, and 
stuck B.C. Women's Hospital with unpaid bills.

The NDP suggested government save money by booting ineffective 
ministers like Chong, who can't even explain her own budget. But 
Opposition Leader Carole James warned last week that the Oak 
Bay-Gordon Head MLA isn't the only minister likely to face a roasting 
in coming weeks.

"I think the ministers better get prepared because we're going to 
continue to ask the questions. The public deserves to know where 
those cuts are coming from. The government thinks they're going to 
trickle them out and continue hoping no one will notice. Well, I 
think they'll be surprised."

lkines at tc.canwest.com

rfshaw at tc.canwest.com

Credit: Lindsay Kines and Rob Shaw; Times Colonist

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