Message from Parliamentary Secretary Niki Sharma

Welcome to the winter edition of my e-newsletter. It never fails to amaze me how fast the year has flown by for us all.

This fall has been eventful. It was an honour and a privilege to work under the leadership of Premier John Horgan, and I'm excited to continue working for the people of B.C. under the leadership of Premier David Eby. With the holidays fast approaching, we know that people are feeling the impacts of global inflation more than ever before. The Province is dedicated to helping people by keeping money in their pockets and providing additional free and low-cost services. After being sworn-in, Premier Eby announced the BC Affordability tax credit and a BC Hydro credit, further to new measures announced in September.

Over the summer and early fall, I met with a wide variety of non-profits to discuss their work and challenges, and participate in many incredible announcements that are important to the sector, from the opening of funding applications to helping fight period poverty to supporting the good work of co-operatives in B.C.

We have also made progress on the Recovery and Resiliency Fund. I’m delighted to note that there were 3,100 applications received, and that we will be announcing the recipients in the coming weeks. The New Relationship Trust, an Indigenous-led funding body who is administering $5 million of Recovery and Resiliency Fund, received 23 applications from Indigenous non-profits with operating budgets over $1 million, which will be announced later this year.

Thank you all for your continued dedication and commitment in charting our path to recovery.

It is always an honour to serve BC’s non-profit sector. From my family to yours, I wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

Niki Sharma
Parliamentary Secretary
Community Development and Non-Profits

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Reminder to review and update your voting Bylaws to align with court decision

During the pandemic, government made amendments to the Societies Act to enable electronic meetings. While changes were made to the Act, it’s up to cooperative associations and non-profit societies to ensure their bylaws allow electronic meetings and to update them if necessary. Read more.

Funding programs for non-profits

viaSport Grants are funded by the Province, Government of Canada, individual foundations and corporations, and award approximately $2 million dollars in sport-related grant programs each year. The next intake is for the Community Sport Program Development Fund, which closes Nov. 29, 2022.

BC Arts Council Grants are offered through the BC Arts Council portal. The next intake is for the Accelerate Pilot Program, a two-year initiative to improve access and reduce barriers to funding for equity deserving and regional arts and culture organizations and collectives, which closes Dec. 1, 2022.

Supported Rent Supplement Program provides rental, health, social and cultural supports. The program will provide a new monthly rental supplement as much as $600 as well as additional supports. A request for proposals has been issued to find non-profit housing providers to partner on the program, which is expected to be available in early 2023. Closing date is Dec. 12 2022.

Connecting Communities BC supports expanding high-speed internet services to under-served rural, remote and Indigenous communities in British Columbia. Applications for the first intake closes Dec. 15, 2022. The second intake opens Dec. 16.

Community Gaming Grants provide $140 million annually to non-profit organizations throughout B.C., to support their delivery of ongoing programs and services that meet the needs of their communities. The next intake is the Arts & Culture stream, which opens Feb. 1, 2023.

Rent Supplement Program is for young adults (aged 19-27) from government care who may apply for a $600 monthly rent supplement for up to 2 years. The next intake opens in 2023.

First People’s Cultural Council Grants support First Nations communities in B.C. in the revitalization of Indigenous languages, arts and cultural heritage. Application deadliines are available through the FFPC's Grant Portal. 

Canada Small Business Financing Program makes it easier for small businesses, including non-profit and charitable organizations, to get loans from financial institutions.

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New and amended laws

Upholding Indigenous jurisdiction over child and family services

Under the Indigenous Self-Government in Child and Family Services Amendment Act, the Province is changing provincial legislation to remove barriers for Indigenous Peoples exercising jurisdiction over child and family services, becoming the first province in Canada to expressly recognize this inherent right within provincial legislation.

Improving patient safety, industry oversight and governance

The Health Professions and Occupations Act will replace its predecessor, the Health Professions Act. The new legislation will protect people in vulnerable circumstances and build a commitment to cultural safety, humility and a new way to regulate lower-risk health occupations.

Holding the opioid industry accountable for deceptive marketing

Amendments to the Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act will enable the governments of British Columbia and Canada to pursue recovery from opioid manufacturers, wholesalers and other potential defendants in a class-action lawsuit that is in progress.

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Non-profits

Oct. 3 - Small businesses and non-profit organizations paying high property taxes because of future development potential may see some financial relief through new municipal property tax rate flexibility. Read more.

Sept. 23 - Government is providing $4 million in post-pandemic recovery funding to reignite the amateur sport sector by rebuilding sport membership and bolstering volunteerism. Read more.

July 26 - A new investment of $2 million will support the development and growth of British Columbia’s co-operative businesses, while expanding services for people who use them. Read more.

July 25 - Indigenous and Black women, women of colour and their families will see continued assistance from the local non-profit organization Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour due to a $50,000 grant from the Province. Read more.

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Housing and homelessness

Nov. 3 - Ground-breaking data that tracks the number of people who experienced homelessness in B.C. will help government better understand the factors that contribute to homelessness, and better support people in finding stable housing and services that meet their needs. Read more.

Aug. 17 - BC Rent Bank assistance increased housing stability and prevented homelessness for the vast majority of people who used its services, according to the results of the latest BC Rent Bank Housing Survey. Read more.

July 19 - The expansion of the Speculation and Vacancy Tax will help eliminate speculative real estate practices and turn empty units into homes for people in additional communities in B.C. struggling with housing affordability. Read more.

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Reconciliation

Oct. 11 - The British Columbia Assembly of First Nations is launching a new Centre of Excellence in First Nations Economic Development to help advance the role of First Nations in B.C.’s inclusive economy and to work toward true and lasting reconciliation Read more.

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Social supports

Nov. 3 - People living in long-term care homes will have more input into issues that affect their daily lives as the result of changes to resident and family councils.  Read more.

Oct. 14 - British Columbians living with overlapping brain injury, mental-health and substance-use challenges will benefit from a new research project that will explore these areas and propose solutions to meet people’s needs. Read more.

Oct. 3 - More people will get mental-health and substance-use support when leaving correctional centres as B.C. creates new and expanded services for those at risk. Read more.

Oct. 3 - People new to B.C. can apply for Medical Services Plan, Fair PharmaCare and Supplementary Benefits at the same time using the B.C. Application for Health and Drug Coverage. Read more.

Sept. 8 - The Province is working to support students in creating safe, inclusive and welcoming spaces for them. The federal and provincial governments invested $1 million to further address sexualized violence at B.C. post-secondary institutions. Read more. 

Aug. 31 - To support seniors in leading active and independent lives, $500,000 in grants for age-friendly assessments, planning and projects have been awarded to 25 communities in B.C., including four Indigenous communities. Read more. 

Aug. 23 - More women affected by trauma will be able to access extended mental-health supports. Read more.

Aug. 4 - More people throughout B.C. will receive free training on how to help defuse racist incidents through a new Anti-Racism Community Stewards pilot program. Read more.

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Families, children and youth

Nov. 1, 2022 - More families in B.C. will save thousands of dollars per year as more than 1,370 more child care spaces convert to the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program. Read more.

Sept. 26 - New rent supplements, transition workers and a no-limit earnings exemption will help youth from care make stronger transitions to adulthood. Read more.

Sept. 23 - Starting in December, parents in British Columbia will save as much as an additional $550 per month for each child they have in participating licensed child care centres. Read more.

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Environment

Oct. 28 - The Province is moving forward with permanent regulatory changes that will ban the widespread sale and use of second-generation rodenticides. Read more.

Aug. 2 - The Province is improving accessibility to electric vehicles by increasing maximum rebate amounts and ensuring they are going to people who need them most. Read more.

July 15 - B.C. farmers and ranchers can reduce their risks from extreme weather through a new pilot program that will help improve farms’ climate-change preparedness and resilience to wildfires, flooding and extreme heat. Read more.

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