Of the five funding requests that came before Council on February 3, all but one were either denied or deferred, including funding for the Tumbler Ridge Public Library, the Tumbler Ridge Youth Services Society and the TR Days Society.
While most of these were deferred, a couple were denied outright.
One grant—a request from the Tumbler Ridge Outdoor Recreation Association (TRORA) was approved for $7522.20 for training for two safety training sessions for volunteers. The funds would go towards a standard first aid course (they’re hoping to have 18 participants for that) and a basic chainsaw certification course for up to 20 people.
Coincidentally, TRORA was on hand to make a presentation at the meeting.
One request—from the TR Days Society (TRDS)—was denied. TRDS asked for $110,000, which would have allowed them to book acts for a potential Grizfest in 2026. In 2019, the society was awarded a lease to develop a permanent fairground site, with the intent to bring back Grizfest. According to the society’s submission, the District of Tumbler Ridge gave the group $90,000 for a Grant-in-Aid in 2018. “Since that time we have been working tirelessly to build a Fairgrounds for the community of Tumbler Ridge. We have received many grants and after we secured the lease of the property from the town, we had it completely fenced.
“We have now completed our project. TRDS has been holding events on the property for three years now, in between projects. We have our ongoing Halloween Haunt and our Fall Fair. We are hoping to raise money this year for an outdoor movie projector to have “Summer Movie Nights”. Conuma Resources has expressed interest in holding their summer kids parties on the Fairgrounds. TRORA has also expressed interest.”
However, all these things are secondary to the “main event.” According to the letter, “The Fairgrounds were built for Grizfest Music Festival. TRDS knew that it would take everything we had to get to this point and we were okay with that. We are once again hoping to count on the District of Tumbler Ridge for financial support. The purpose of the fairgrounds is to eventually be self sufficient but that will take time.”
As mentioned, this request was denied outright, which the organization seemingly anticipated, by having a second ask: $12,000 to support “the ongoing operations of the Fairgrounds and to fund key annual events organized by the Society, including the Fall Fair and the Halloween Haunt.”
While this request was not denied, it was deferred until the TRDS could appear before council as a delegation, something the TRDS has chosen not to do. Instead, the organization has withdrawn its funding request.
“After further discussion at our board meeting on Tuesday, February 12, and a careful review of our budget for the upcoming year, we have decided to withdraw this application,” the society wrote in a letter that appeared in the March 3 council package. “While we are moving ahead with our other initiatives, we want to acknowledge the significance of large-scale events like Grizfest, which contribute to tourism, economic development, and community pride. Given the work that the TRDS has put into developing the new Fairgrounds—made possible through sponsorship from Conuma Resources, Northern Development Initiative Trust, Tumbler Ridge Community Forest and support from the District—we had hoped to see this space used for a major festival like Grizfest. We understand the challenges of funding such events and hope that future opportunities to support Grizfest will be considered, as events of this scale provide lasting benefits to the local economy, businesses, and residents alike.”
The society says the would welcome the opportunity to appear as a delegation at a later date, “to share updates on our 2024 events and successes, as well as discuss plans for additional events in 2025.”
The Tumbler Ridge Riders Snowmobile Association requested $10,000 from the District to assist in funding a FMX show in Tumbler Ridge.
This would be a follow-up to last year’s series of FMX shows that were held in Tumbler Ridge.
However, “the District did not receive a copy of the organizations most recent financial statements with the application. Staff have requested this information but to date have not received it.”
This means the application did not meet all the requirements at the time, so the vote was deferred.
The club appeared before council at the March 3 meeting, to discuss their request.
The previous year was quite successful, attracting between 100 and 150 people for each of the four shows, for a total of about 400 people. $2050 was raised in donations at the show. This money was donated to the local food bank.
While the club is debating charging for this year’s event, Mayor Krakowka encourages them to find ways to keep the event free for attendees and find other ways to make money.
While Councillor Gulick opposed it, Council voted in favour.
Also deferred was a three year Fee For Service request by the Tumbler Ridge Youth Services Society (TRYSS).
According to the District, this application, too, failed to meet all the necessary requirements.
After some debate around the organization’s tardiness in getting their financials to the District and lack of finding any alternate sources of funding (including a motion by Councillor Gulick to reduce the funding to one year), the motion passed, Councillor Gulick opposed.
Finally, the District reviewed its funding for the Tumbler Ridge Public Library, who were requesting $447,480 in operating funding for 2025, which represents a 5.2 percent increase from 2024.
Like the Ridge Riders, representatives from the Tumbler Ridge Library Board were on hand on March 3 to answer questions.
“The board has approved a minimal budget that keeps the doors to the library open and maintains its critical, vital services for the community. The library provides a municipal service that is foundational for a thriving community, and which provides a direct economic and social benefit to all citizens of Tumbler Ridge,” said board chair Zachary Schoenberger in a presentation that focused on the diversity of programs and services the library offers.
Surprisingly, after being one of the most contentious issues before council the last few years, many council members spoke out in favour of the work that the library does in town before approving the budget unanimously.
Indeed, Mayor Krakowka suggested that the District needs to talk to the Province to see if they would be willing to fund the library in part, as the library is picking up many of the services that have been downloaded from the Federal and Provincial Governments onto the town.
The town continues to work through it’s 2025-2028 Financial Plan, with budget meetings scheduled for March 11, 17 and April 14.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
