Is it just me or is the Economic Action Plan Money going to a lot of religious institutes?

I have noticed that a good chunk of tax payer money called "The Economic Action Plan" is going to religious institutes here in Hamilton and finally I saw an article that supported my theory from another part the country.

$371,650 for the Good Shepard Venture Center (Which I didn't know was Catholic too!)

And Since I don't go to any of these places and actually go to Mohawk College, the largest skilled trade college in Ontario, which didn't get any money, I am a little upset. I know the school could have really used the money for all kinds of good things for the students.

I have seen a few other weird things with Economic Action plan money like resurfacing roads that go to no where, or resurfacing roads that look new still, or putting money into McMaster's nuclear reactor, which is good but shouldn't the federal nuclear money go to getting a replacement medical isotope reactor?

And please lets get Harper away from the money that I give to my country with the belief that it will be used equally and wisely!

Comments

Submitted by ennir on February 20, 2010 - 12:24am.

I am glad it is in the news.

It is outrageous that the city is coming up with over two million dollars, worthwhile organizations asking for twenty thousand dollars have been denied.

Submitted by Sarann on February 20, 2010 - 12:39pm.

Winnipeg got a bazillion dollars for a fundamentalist run youth program center. Can we not stop this?

Submitted by Sarann on February 20, 2010 - 12:48pm.

I should have said a Winnipeg fundamentalist group got a bazillion dollars for a youth program center. Can we not stop this?????

Submitted by jas on February 20, 2010 - 12:49pm.

Here's the article on that.

Quote:

"Would the federal government be so willing to give them $3 million if they were called Youth for Allah?"

Submitted by munroe on February 20, 2010 - 1:22pm.

These are further examples of the "hidden agenda" that Harper has had all along. The growing influence of fundamentalist christianity can be seen throughout the Federal sphere. Top advisors, appointments to various positions and now here comes the money. Look at the assault on Rights and Democracy and the appointment of a former CLAC Rep to immigration and Refugee Board.

I should note that Redeemer is not just a christian college; it is Christian Reform and Calvinist. The cross fertilisation within the fundamentalist movement is readily apparent there. CLAC draws many of its Reps from Redeemer and there is a tight relationship with a so-called think tank called Cardus (also with tight CLAC ties). Van Pelt, one of the Harper appointments at Rights and Democracy, is a Cardus manager.

We are talking a very small community with a very outsized influence. Keep your eye on the prize - a recent example IMHO is how abortion and contraception are not part of the Federal women's health strategy.

Submitted by Unionist on February 22, 2010 - 7:42am.

Hey, munroe - great to see you around!

More on the plan to fund Youth For Christ in Winnipeg:

Quote:

Vic Toews, the province's senior federal cabinet minister, has shepherded the YFC plan and says that it met all federal bureaucratic hurdles. "The infrastructure bureaucrats, they looked at the religious component and gave it the okay," Mr. Toews said. "I don't know what Pat Martin's problem is. We've got a Jewish mayor supporting Youth for Christ, so let's put aside any idea of this being a group of religious fanatics."

As much as YFC and local politicians espouse the group's all-inclusive credentials, a number of inner-city workers say that the mere title of the organization alienates a large swath of Winnipeg's teen population.

"Many of the youth they are targeting are aboriginal," said Daly de Gagne, a therapist and chaplain who works extensively in the city's crime-ridden North End. "But if you grow up in a family where stories of relatives being sexually abused by clergy in residential schools are common, you might be turned off by any mention of Jesus Christ."

Several aboriginal organizations have been dealing successfully with inner-city teens for decades, according to University of Winnipeg professor and inner-city worker Jim Silver, and most are constantly scrounging for funds.

"City council has starved the inner city of funds for years," he said. "Now they're supporting these outsiders who are coming in and think God will solve everything. It's awful. This isn't the right way to meet the needs of kids in the inner city. This is a colonial attitude. We've seen this movie before. It comes to a bad end."

Submitted by DrGreenthumb on February 22, 2010 - 10:07am.

It would be really interesting to find out what the total ammount of funds is cross-country that went to "christian" organizations, as opposed to other religious groups. I had heard about the 3 million the winnipeg youth for Christ group got, but wasn't aware that a pattern was forming across the country. This could be a big story.

Submitted by mechtech on February 24, 2010 - 7:23pm.

I have found a few more interesting places that our money is going.

Federal Funding:
$588,333

Total Project Value:
$1,765,000

This isn't so bad but I don't approve of it.

next up giving money for a video screen doesn't sound like it's going to create a long lasting job, at least to me.

CITY OF GUELPH - SLEEMAN CENTRE

Description
These funds will be used for the installation of a video score board at the Sleeman Centre.

Federal Funding:
$250,000

This one is good, blank cheque anyone?

GRAND RIVER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY - RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC 1867 HARRIS WOOLLEN MILL RUINS

Description
These funds will be used for the restoration of the historic 1867 Harris Woollen Mill ruins.

Federal Funding:
between $100K and $1M

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

KORTRIGHT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - RENOVATION OF A FORMER PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING

Description
These funds will be used to renovate a former public school building so it can be used as a church.

Federal Funding:
$760,700

Total Project Value:
$798,700

Wow, I am now the proud part owner of a chruch and so are you!!!!

Submitted by mechtech on February 24, 2010 - 7:47pm.

Sorry the first one was for :

FLAMBOROUGH FAMILY YMCA HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTRE AND YOUTH CENTRE

Submitted by ennir on February 24, 2010 - 11:12pm.

It was just a week ago that I heard someone from Youth For Christ on CBC announcing that they had received this grant from the city which would be matched by Federal Dollars, as I recall they seemed to indicate it was windfall, rather unexpected. Truthfully many of us found it unexpected since there had been no discussion of this, in fact the city has been saying for quite some time that there was NO MONEY for any groups no matter how worthy. Also, since it is in an area with a high population of First Nations people, First Nations groups had already requested that particular lot.

Pat Martin spoke out about it and Vic Toews responded, it seems Vic Toews is well acquainted with Youth For Christ.

Where was the reasoned discourse? How is it that Vic Toews shows up and suddenly there is money where there was no money before?

I think this is just one example of the kind of government we can continue to expect with Harper as Prime Minister and it concerns me greatly. There is no hidden agenda here, it is quite blatant, they do whatever they want, whenever they want and while we struggle with reasoned discourse they act again and again in their own interests.

Edited for format.

Submitted by greener on February 25, 2010 - 5:16pm.

Does anyone know why Pat Martin reversed his stand?

I was so happy that he was speaking out, and now he wants to help them all of a sudden.

Just because a bunch of idiots voted in favour of the project doesn't make it right.

What happened????

Submitted by Unionist on February 25, 2010 - 5:57pm.

greener wrote:

Does anyone know why Pat Martin reversed his stand?

Yes, I do. It's because he takes wrong stands on all issues of principle - and he just slipped up this time - so he corrected himself.

Pat Martin:

1. ... is a fanatical supporter of Israeli policy.

2. ... supports the Canadian "mission" in Afghanistan, in defiance of his own party's convention stand.

3. ... pretended to oppose the Youth For Christ funding, knowing it was going to pass, and now is taking the "high road" - the view that "anything is better than nothing":

Quote:

NDP MP Pat Martin had condemned public funding for the plan, equating the idea of giving government money to the group as "taxpayer-funded proselytization" and accusing Youth For Christ of targeting vulnerable kids with its religious agenda.

But in the wake of council's decision -- which allows the centre to access $3.2-million in federal infrastructure-stimulus funds -- Mr. Martin said he harbours no ill will toward Youth For Christ and wants to help it build a facility that will include a gym, skate park, fitness centre, classroom, climbing wall, dance studio and other amenities.

"Now that it's over, I'm going to do all I can to ensure it's a success," Mr. Martin said. "Anything happening in the inner city is better than nothing."

Source.

Tell that to all the legitimate Indigenous organizations that have been denied funding - Pat.

Submitted by kropotkin1951 on February 25, 2010 - 6:08pm.

Isn't there an ambassadorship somewhere he could be appointed to?

Faith based charity has been proven over and over to be the wrong solution to any social problem. People are not souls to be saved by conversion to a one true god. As a youth with experience with the dark side of christian services I would not go anywhere near something called Youth For Christ. No matter how shiny their toys. I feel like taxpayers are paying for the bait to lure inner city youth to a certain religious ideology.

Submitted by Unionist on February 25, 2010 - 6:16pm.

Canada funds religion every day, by giving them tax breaks (for G=-=d knows what reason), paying for religious education, etc. etc. But in this case, the crime goes much further (from my link above):

Quote:

At city council, opponents such as Nahanni Fontaine from the Southern Chiefs' Organization likened the group's youth centre to Canada's residential schools. But the primary complaint raised by inner-city groups was that they had no access to comparable public funding.

Submitted by Aristotleded24 on February 26, 2010 - 1:21am.

greener wrote:

Does anyone know why Pat Martin reversed his stand?

I'm guessing some of his constituents (the people whose votes he has to win to keep his job) were unhappy and felt that as he put it, "it's better than nothing." Plus the fact that as an MP he does not have that much jurisdiction over how municipal and provincial funds are handed out.

Personally, I have no problem with YFC wanting to convert young people to Christianity, nor do I have a problem with them setting up anywhere they please. The issue for me is the amount of public money going to this one particular project, especially considering that the current civic administration has been cutting back on urban recreation programs.

Submitted by Unionist on February 26, 2010 - 1:29am.

I think the government spending millions of dollars to subsidize the conversion of Indigenous kids to Christianity sounds like a very original idea. I'm thrilled that Pat Martin has overcome his momentary episode of shame and returned to the Fold. After all, he can't argue too loudly against Virtue. Like his Ontario provincial colleagues, he goes through life with a sword over his head.

Submitted by mechtech on March 1, 2010 - 6:35pm.

Pat Martin is NOT the story here folks.

Please

Look at the big picture, If I found these examples of tax payer's money being abused on a particular website for anyone to see, then what is happening behind closed doors?

Plus, I am ashamed to say this, but I was lead to believe that the Economic action plan was to make long lasting jobs for Canadians and not the temporary ones that have been made.

I'm pissed that my money went to some of theses places, and not to say Healthcare or Healthcare or at least something that would make long lasting jobs for Canadians. Nation wide mega Project maybe?

And What about the bailouts? What a bad decision. Do I get a say in what GM or Chrysler builds? Maybe this will show up on the ballots for the next election...lol

We have let Harper Piss away alot of money, and here comes the budget and guess what he's pissing out more money to all the wrong places.

Come on shake you head, and think about the only thing that will make Harper fall.... scandal

oh and let's make him pay back all of the people he has robbed.

Submitted by Sean in Ottawa on March 1, 2010 - 6:55pm.

I think that people need to spend a lot of time looking at how this money was spent as now we have to pay the bill...

Submitted by Fidel on March 1, 2010 - 7:17pm.

herr Harper might as well say, WE'RE THROUGH kissing your asses with priming pumps of rich friends of the conservative party and throwing you all even further down a debt hole. It's time for us to KILL the economy with higher interest rates and throwing tens of thousands more out of work as favour to banks and foreign creditors. Party's over!

So if it's not too much trouble, could all you frozen hosers please hand us that phony-baloney Mulroney-style majority we begged and pleaded with you for little more than a year ago?

Submitted by Noah_Scape on March 30, 2011 - 12:05pm.

Is THIS the right time to resurrect this thread?

The hypocracy: conservatives decrying government spending as they fund the projects they believe in with government money.

Are hypocritical Canadian conservatives related to American conservative hypocracy?

Something in the alt-news today...

- "Funding anti-abortion activists" > http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/gops-plan-fund-anti-abortion-act...

Submitted by mechtech on April 10, 2011 - 3:09am.

Did anyone in Opposition ever look at the economic action plan?

Just Found another $ 4 million from The Economic Action Plan that went to one post secondary religious school. WTF

Link

http://actionplan.gc.ca/initiatives/eng/index.asp?mode=8&imode=2&ID=5968&initiativeId=97

http://www.newman.edu/Index.aspx [23]

Maybe there's more. I cannot find a list of projects, but the interactive map is money well spent.

I'm still unhappy my non-religious school got nothing.

Submitted by thorin_bane on April 10, 2011 - 12:56pm.

Shiela fraser report is on the shelf go figure. Not surprised as she has always seemed partisan to me.