New process flawed, says Tignish community group denied grant

A community economic development group in western P.E.I. is taking issue with the way the rules have changed for a grant it has come to rely on.

Tignish Initiatives Corporation has been operating in the village of Tignish for two decades, andis involved in several business development and restoration projects in the community. In recent years, it says it has received $10,000 a year from the village in support of its work.

Thatgrant system was changed this year.

"There was one part of the grant application that stated that monies would not be used for administration costs for wages or things like that," said community council chair AllanMcInnis.

"Unfortunately some applications were not filled out properly and they were denied. They werereofferedthe application and they came back and they were filled out the same way they were previously filled out. So anybody that didn't fill out the application properly, then they were denied any grants."

Money needed for administration, says group

But Anne Arsenault, general manager of Tignish Initiatives, said administrative costs are what her group needs the grant for.

"That's where we disagree in the process," said Arsenault.

"We don't feel that the application process in place really fits with what we do here."

Arsenault said her group coordinates a large volunteer effort to help develop the community, work the village would otherwise have to pay wages for.

McInnis said it isnot the case that the village wants to cut Tignish Initiatives out of community grants.

"They're a very important organization up here in our area," he said, adding,"That's not the only money Initiatives gets."

MacInnis said the group is subsidized for its Communities In Bloom work, for labour costs and supplies, up to $7,000.

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