Community agencies head to Fredericton for response to non-profit sector report
Mar. 27, 2008
Dozens of workers from community agencies in Southeastern New Brunswick are heading to Fredericton tomorrow to hear the province’s response to a report on the community non-profit sector.
“We have a busload booked to go at 6 a.m. and there will be a convoy of cars leaving from the area as well,” says Debbie McInnis, Executive Director of the United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern New Brunswick Region, on behalf of 33 community non-profit groups.
The province is expected to table its response to the report of the Premier’s Task Force on the Community Non-Profit Sector at approximately 11 a.m. tomorrow in the legislature.
Non-profit organizations have been invited to attend an information session from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 4, 199 Queen St., Fredericton. (The meeting was previously scheduled for the Charlotte Street Arts Centre.)
During the information session, representatives of the community non-profit sector will be given an advance copy of the government’s response. Those interested in attending the session can still register by calling the secretariat’s toll free number, 1-888-295-4545. “We’re hearing that there will be 100 to 150 people involved in non-profit groups from across the province attending,” says Debbie McInnis. The province established the Task Force on the Community Non-Profit Sector in December 2006.
Former MP Claudette Bradshaw led the four-member task force, which visited communities throughout the province and gathered information about the work and challenges of non-profit groups. More than 1,000 presentations and commentaries were made to the committee.
In September, the task force released its final report, entitled “Blueprint for Action: Building a Foundation for Self-Sufficiency”, making four key recommendations on non-profit organizations. They include: the need for stable funding; the creation of an agency to connect the non-profit sector to the provincial government and to other organizations within the sector; increased efforts to promote volunteerism; and greater consultation with government.
In January, the United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern New Brunswick Region held a community planning session to discuss the report’s recommendations. Representatives of 33 community agencies, from both rural and urban areas, attended the session. During the event, those in the non-profit sector voiced support for the recommendations of Bradshaw’s group and expressed a keen desire to work with the government on their implementation.
For more information, contact Cathy Donaldson, Communications Coordinator, United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern New Brunswick Region, at 858-8600 Ext. 64 or 866-6427.







