By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

More than 3,200 community nonprofits working in health, social services and disability advocacy are asking questions about future provincial funding after what they are calling arbitrary changes to the Programme de soutien aux organismes communautaires (PSOC).

The $28-million PSOC received a $10-million top-up in the most recent provincial budget. Eligible organizations initially believed that the top-up funds would be divided equally, with a few thousand dollars going to each nonprofit. However, they recently learned that the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) intended to divide the money “according to criteria Minister [responsible for social services Lionel] Carmant alone knows,” explained Daniel Cayley-Daoust, co-spokesperson for the Coalition des Tables Régionales d’Organismes Communautaires (CTROC), a provincewide network of regional networks of community organizations. “Our understanding is that the money is still there, but we don’t know how it’s going to be distributed.”

When the budget was passed in March and during the detailed study of budgetary appropriations in April, CTROC was under the impression the funding would be distributed equally. “This is the first time, as far as we know, that money was given in the budget, confirmed in appropriations and then walked back by the minister,” said Dominique Vigneux-Parent, a spokesperson and research and analysis officer at the Sherbrooke-based ROC Estrie, a CTROC member.

Cayley-Daoust explained that PSOC funding is “mission-based funding” which cash-strapped nonprofits use for administrative costs, to run activities and to fill shortfalls. For some organizations, it represents as much as 80 per cent of their budget. “Having a situation where only some groups have access to this money creates an issue with equity; it creates competition that is not healthy and it creates extra work,” he said. 

“The money should be distributed to all the member organizations, but [the government wants] to pick and choose,” Vigneux-Parent said. “We have no idea of the criteria that will be used.”

Late last week, Vigneux-Parent told the BCN CTROC was hoping to secure an emergency meeting with Carmant.

“The process for analyzing funding requests within the framework of the amount of $10 million, as presented in the budget plan, will be clarified soon,” MSSS spokesperson Francis Martel told the BCN.