TOUGH TIMES: The OWSA and Government Funding in 1996, or, How come nobody's answering the phone? By Paul Jurbala When you call the OWSA office, you will almost certainly reach a voice mail system. Common as this is in the 1990s, many of you may find it frustrating. We have little choice, however; , who has worked in the OWSA office since August 1994 was laid off at the end of August 1996 due to ongoing uncertainty about government funding to the association. And now that I'm alone in the office, it's harder to answer your call. I've written several times in the past about the effects of cuts in funding to Ontario sport organizations and the pressures it has put on the OWSA. Government funding makes up about 40% of the OWSA's revenues, and it used to support a part of most of our programs. Under the previous NDP government funding to sport was cut 30%, and it has been cut a further 21% by the Harris government. The cuts, however, are neither the story nor the problem. This time, I'd like to tell you a little about what's been happening over the past two years and how it affects us, and you. In 1995, the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation took until December to decide on funding levels for sport associations - a full nine months, or three quarters into the fiscal year. Most organizations simply hoped for the best and put on programs in a reduced format, and most found that in December the retroactive funding justified the gamble. They, and we, risked running up a big deficit if the grant hadn't come through. But they, and we, were weakened by the ongoing turmoil and suspense,and the need to program defensively. For 1996, things should have been better, but they weren't. Late in 1995 the Ministry announced that it would conduct a review of funding to culminate by April 30. Normally, whatever that is, sports would get funding guidelines in the fall and apply for money in January; now we were going to have to wait until April. After the 1995 experience, we were sceptical, and the scepticism proved to be realism. April 30 came and went without word from the Ministry. Then its staff announced that the new date was June 30. Finally, on July 23, the Minister announced that she was directing her staff to create a Sport Strategy for Ontario, to be completed by September 30 - and that the decision could be to stop funding sport organizations altogether. The final answer came on Oct. 4(see next page). Unable to believe that these debilitating delays could happen for the second year in a row, the lid blew off sport organizations in August. At a press conference widely reported by the media, Sport Ontario, an advocacy group for Ontario's sport organizations, called the Minister incompetent and called on her to delay the implementation of the new strategy to 1997 so funds, already budgeted by the government, could flow to the sports before their fiscal year was completed. Petitions appeared at competitions throughout Ontario, and at the Ontario Summer Games athletes wore black ribbons in protest. To date, however, the Minister is staying the course. These ongoing delays, which make it impossible to budget and operate in a organized fashion, have already cost the OWSA. But faced with the news that all funding could be cut off after the programs have been completed left the OWSA board with little alternative but to cut spending and prepare for the worst. Even with the reduction in staff, the OWSA faces an operating deficit of as much as $ 20,000 if no grant funding is forthcoming. In the worst case scenario, with one or no staff, no office, and reduced program funding, the priorities of the OWSA and the programs it can deliver will have to change. How they will change will be discussed at the 1996 Annual General Meeting. But even in the best scenario, it is clear that the the OWSA must shift away from grant support as soon as possible, for what was once a stable support which allowed us to be aggressive in searching out other revenues has, since 1995, become the least stable source of revenue we have. It has been an astonishing experience to see a government Ministry dither for two years, unable to make a decision, and imperil the existence of over 80 sport organizations in the doing. Whether government ought to fund sport is a different debate; but if it is going to, the people of Ontario have the right to expect it be done in an efficient, timely way. Keith Keindel, president of Spalding Canada and father of Girls 3 skier Ashley who represented Canada at the Junior Worlds this summer, was on hand at the Sport Ontario press conference in August. When asked if he would run his business the way the government was managing sport funding, he said 3If I did, I wouldn't be able to keep my job.' Enough said. Editor's Note: This article was written before the government announced its sport funding policy in early October. We felt it was still relevant to put its announcement in perspective, and to give you some sense of its impact on the OWSA. While we were pleased that the OWSA will continue to receive funding, we are disappointed in the process and that so many other sports will have to find other sources of income. Let's hope the business sector will answer the call and provide funding as it does in the US.