South Algonquin approves annual operating grant for archery club

By Mike Riley

Local journalism Initiative Reporter

At their March 1 meeting, South Algonquin Township council approved the annual operating grant of $2,500 for the Flying Feathers' Archery Club, an incorporated not-for-profit that is primarily a 3D Archery Club dedicated to providing recreational and competitive archery to all ages. Council subsequently passed a resolution to pay out the $2,500 operating grant for 2023.

According to the report submitted by Bryan Martin, the CAO, to council at the March 1 meeting, before amalgamation in 1997, the Flying Feathers' Archery Club was part of the Local Services Board in Madawaska under the Recreation program. As a participant in the Board, half of all the expenses of the club was paid by the Board, which included insurance, LUP, snowplowing and other expenses. Post amalgamation, as per the restructuring notice, the new corporation of South Algonquin Township was responsible for all the assets and liabilities of the old corporations.

“In an agreement between the township and the club, it was agreed that instead of keeping track of and submitting bills for payment, that a lump sum of $2,500 would be paid annually to the club as an operating grant,” Martin said in his report.

Martin further revealed that this operating grant has been paid as part of the annual budget since amalgamation and staff recommend that it continue for 2023. The activities of the club also deliver recreational activities without the township having to directly deliver them. As part of the township's strategic plan objectives, the club's activities “promote a balanced, safe, healthy and age friendly environment throughout South Algonquin.”

The Flying Feathers' Archery Club has been operating since the mid-1980's and Councillor Joe Florent, who is a secretary/treasurer of the club, clarified a few things from Martin's report to council. As expected, he recuses himself from any council decisions on the club as it would be a conflict of interest, although he did make some comments on the club at this meeting.

Florent said that the club had not gotten money from South Algonquin until 2001 or 2002 and that when amalgamation first happened, the funding had stopped.

“After a couple of years, the club was getting in [dire] financial straits, so I did some research and came up with the restructuring order, from the Minister at that time, Al Leach, which said that the new corporation was responsible for all the assets and liabilities of the old Local Services Board and the council at that time agreed. It was a time I wasn't on council and I did a presentation and council agreed that instead of nit-picking with itemizing everything, they'd give us a lump sum operating grant of $2,500,” he says.

Mayor Ethel LaValley said she had no problem with continuing the operating grant as it was a minimal amount for a good service.

Later on in the meeting, council approved a resolution to pay out the $2,500 operating grant to the Flying Feathers' Archery Club for 2023.