Make Developers Pass Grant Means Test: THE VOTER
The Voter has some interesting proposals for offering grants to private firms.
This comes after Germain Hotels was denied a $13-million grant under the city’s Community Initiatives Program to build a hotel at Ottawa International Airport:
Any firm applying for a grant from the City of Ottawa should have to open its books to demonstrate the funds are essential for the viability of the proposed project and that the company would not be able to proceed without the requested injection of tax dollars.
When not-for-profit organizations apply for city grants or other funding, they have to produce audited financial statements. If the group appears too flush with available in-house funds, they will be asked to explain why they need city money rather than funding the proposed project out of their own resources. These questions are asked no matter how necessary or important the project might be for the city or its residents. If it appears that the project will go ahead with or without the requested city funds, the city, quite rightly, steps aside and tells the organization to go ahead on its own.
No Big City Subsidy? Airport Hotel Still A Go
As non-profit organizations, city funding is never permitted to be applied towards anything other than the cost of the proposed program or service. It can’t be used to make a profit. For-profit entities should be held to those same standards whether it’s a hotel chain or a Porsche dealership asking for city tax dollars through a CIP or a group like OSEG seeking to spend the City’s money while siphoning off the profits of the project into their own pockets.
To read the post to which The Voter refers, click here.
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How dare you Voter?! Requiring everyone who applies for free money to fail a means test? Show some respect. Not for the tax dollars being doled out by staff and council like Hallowe’en candy as you suggest. No. Rather for the rich and privileged, or for those who want to be. After all, if politicians cannot reward favours granted to them with city funds, what should they do? Repay favours with their own resources? Don’t be ridiculous.
Ron,
I know! I can be so unreasonable at times. It can be hard to rise above and realize it’s not their fault that those who are better than me can’t be expected to push themselves away from the trough when it’s placed in front of them. We do all need to feel their pain and never expect them to be less entitled than they are just because such opportunities aren’t offered to us. I’m sure for some of them it would be difficult to reach into their own pockets since it’s been so long and it’s just so darned easy to use others’ resources before dipping into your own.