The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has tentatively budgeted $30,000 for the struggling Trail Skills Centre, but a final decision won’t be made until next month.
Fruitvale’s Bill Wenman, who chairs a committee made up of directors from Greater Trail, said they received a request from the non-profit organization for emergency funding. But because all money in regional districts has to be tied to a specific service, they had to think it.
“Staff did a deep dive and figured we could possibly take it out of our economic development account,” he said. “In a roundabout way, the Skill Centre does assist with economic development. So we parked some money in this year’s budget.”
Wenman said the committee then asked the Skills Centre for “more of a statement on what they needed, why they needed it and where they needed it,” which was provided this month. However, RDKB policy is that following a delegation, they wait until their next meeting before making a final decision, so the outcome won’t be known until April.
Trail city council recently turned down a similar request. The Skills Centre provides poverty reduction and employment services, but says its government funding has been scaled back or eliminated. The organization has responded by cutting costs and laying off ten of its 14 staff, including its former executive director.
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