Last week Metro Vancouver’s Board held a special meeting to discuss possible changes directed at addressing scope creep at the utility.
One consideration before them is eliminating donations to arts and culture groups through its Regional Culture Committee.
In 2024, 57 nonprofits were given grants totalling $300,000 from Metro Vancouver’s Regional Culture Committee, but giving that money also cost money.
Committee members held two meetings with remuneration costing $11,000.
Chair Lisa Muri was paid for attending the meetings and she received a $5,700 stipend.
New Westminster councillor Daniel Fontaine said the grants are not part of the utility’s mandate, telling Global News, “The scope creep of this organization is just completely astronomical when you look at it and this culture committee is to me another one of those examples of something that should be done by another level of government.”
Delta Councilor Dylan Kruger agreed, noting “The vast majority of these grants are handed out to City of Vancouver-based organizations.
“Fifty-seven organizations received these grants. Forty-three of them were in the city of Vancouver. Only five grants for south of the Fraser communities.”
Metro Vancouver says it anticipates there will be a decision on the future of its Regional Culture Committee at a meeting in March.