The Newsletter of the Gwaii Trust Society
Volume One, Number Four - November 1997

Oil lamps and Chainsaws  --
Ports Clements Museum Adds On

Gwaii Trust Granted $49,575 to the Port Clements Historical Society for Renovations

The history of early white settlement on these islands just got longer. In fact, it's grown by another 40-feet in just under a year. It took hundreds of hours and lots of nails, but the extension of the Port Clements Museum is nearly complete. What can now be called the "original" museum has doubled in size. That means more room for the hundreds of artifacts which, when taken together, paint a realistic picture of early frontier life on the coast and among the trees.

Pram and doll with hand-made clothes. - late 1930s belonged to Andrea Olson

Despite the extra space, the presentation of the exhibit will remain relatively unchanged, at least if historian and society member Betty Dalzell has anything to say about it. She takes great pleasure from the fact that these pieces of history- chainsaws and oil lamps to fully restored engines-are not hidden behind glass.  

That adds not only a certain life to the fragments of history arranged on tables and hanging from hooks, but conveys a sense of trust. With only a glass ball and a rubber stamp having gone astray over the past ten years, there seems little reason to change things. Even the two dollar admission price speaks highly of the people running the show.


Historian, writer, and Port Clements Historical Society member Betty Dalzell in front of the Port Clements Museum.

 

"When it was one dollar people used to come in and ask if we had a senior's rate," Dalzell says with a laugh. "We put it up to two dollars and nobody's squawked yet."

Drywall and insulation, a wheelchair access ramp and entrance porch, an admissions kiosk are still to come with more ambitious plans to display parts of pioneer homes furnished in the style of the times.

Woodboss Chainsaw donated by Eric Ross, Queen Charlotte

While the renovation work continues, more artifacts arrive from the homes, sheds and backyards of pioneer families. Only now, there's room to grow. ·

BRIEF CASES


· Do you have questions about the Gwaii Trust? Questions as to how your money is being invested and spent? The Trust is holding its 1997 Annual General Meeting at the Masset Community Hall, Saturday, November 22 at 1:30 pm. This a chance for the public to meet the board and asked questions of the society's auditor. Everyone is welcome.

· Two directors are expected to be reappointed to the Gwaii Trust Board later this month. Port Clements council nominated Mayor Glen Beachy to continue representing the village for another two years with Masset council renewing its support for Terry Carty. Nominations from Old Massett and Skidegate are forthcoming with final appointments to be an-nounced at the AGM.

· Those sweating to make the December 15 deadline for the major infrastructure all-island project can relax... a little. The Gwaii Trust board has changed the deadline to January 15 to give applicants more time to submit proposals. There is still a ceiling of $100,000 per project and, for proposals to be considered "all- island," they must benefit two or more communities.

· During the month of January, the board will be working on a five-year plan. Using the 1994 Business Plan and various community plans as a guide, the directors will be setting a new funding agenda.

Fund Climbs from
$42 to $49-Million

The Administrator's Annual Report for September 1, 1996 to August 31, 1997

Cliff Fregin - Administrator

The 1996/97 fiscal year of the Gwaii Trust Society has proved to be positive for both the society as a whole, as well as the communities and public of Haida Gwaii. In 96/97 the Gwaii Trust Society Board of Directors initiated pilot programs to gauge the community's interest in programming. As a follow-up to the Legacy Fund Pilot in 95/96, the Board established the Legacy Fund Program to fund projects in the field of education and training. This program funded twenty-four pro- jects totaling $193,895.30 in 96/97.

In addition to establishing the Legacy Fund on an annual basis, the Board initiated the Micro and Major Infrastructure Pilot Program in 96/97. These programs provided matching funds to communities, local governance's, societies and organizations to complete infrastructure projects within Haida Gwaii. Projects for these two programs ranged from a fire truck purchase to roof replacement (for local community halls). The response to this program was overwhelming. The Major Infrastructure Pilot Program attracted over thirty applications totaling $4.4 million in requests. The initial budget of the 96/97 Major Infrastructure Pilot program was set at $800,000, however, the Board approved fourteen projects totaling $1,109,703. The Micro Infrastructure Pilot Program also approved fourteen projects totaling $113,811.36. The Board will approve the Micro and Major Infrastructure Pilot Programs on an annual basis because of the positive response. Both of these programs will be offered in the 97/98 fiscal year.

Tony Gage, of Phillips, Hager& North Investment Management Limited was hired in July 1996 as the Investment Manger for the Gwaii Trust Investment Funds. Phillips, Hager & North began investing the Gwaii Trust funds in September, 1996. The results have been impressive, the Gwaii Trust Society has made a return in excess of 14% after one full year. The market value of the Gwaii Trust funds grew from $42 million to $49 million in one year.

The Gwaii Trust Society Board of Directors approved other programming for Haida Gwaii, specifically the Travel Assistance Pilot Program (TAPP) which funded off-island travel for all residents of the Islands. TAPP provided up to $1,000 for groups traveling off-island for education, sports, arts and/or training purposes. The Gwaii Trust Society approved up to $60,000 for this pilot project. The actual expenditure for this pilot program in 96/97 was $43,168 with the majority of the participant's being high school students. The program was so successful that the Board approved the program for the 97/98 fiscal year, with a budget of $60,000.

The Post-Secondary Education grant (PSEG) was recently established to provide incentive to grade 12 graduating students from Haida Gwaii to continue with their post-secondary education. The Gwaii Trust Society will provide a $1,000 grant to each Haida Gwaii student who completes 150 hours of post-secondary education starting September 1, 1997. The non-repayable grant will be paid out to the student once the student has completed the 150 hours (basically one semester as a full-time student). The Gwaii Trust Society had thirty-five students apply to this program by August 31, 1997.

The Gwaii Trust will provide a $1,000 grant to each student who completes 150 hours of post-secondary education starting September 1, 1997.

In response to a Council of the Haida Nation (CHN) proposal, the Gwaii Trust Society approved up to $100,000 for legal expenses arising from the Lyell Island dispute in 1987. The Gwaii Trust Society Board of Directors concurred that the Haida people had a significant role in the creation of the Gwaii Trust and agreed to pay the outstanding legal costs resulting from Lyell Island. To date, Gwaii Trust has paid $65,390 in legal costs to the CHN. Commemorating this gesture, the Gwaii Trust Society hosted a feast entitled Bringing our Communities Together, on June 6, 1997 for all Islanders. Approximately 500 people participated in the event.

The Board expressed their concern for small business on Haida Gwaii. An opportunity presented itself for the Gwaii Trust to become involved in securing a Community Futures organization in late 1996. Community Futures is an organization that provides technical assistance/advice and debt-financing to its community members for the purpose of small business development. Previously, Haida Gwaii was part of the North Coast Community Futures in Prince Rupert. In an attempt to attract Community Futures to Haida Gwaii, the Gwaii Trust Board of Directors approved $450,000 for a small business loan portfolio provided that the federal government approve $1-million for the same purpose on Haida Gwaii. Western Diversification approved Haida Gwaii Community Futures in the summer of 1997. The Gwaii Trust Society has been involved in the set-up of Community Futures (which will operate independently and is scheduled to open in January, 1998) and is currently working with a consultant on the business plan.

The planning for the 97/98 Major Infrastructure Program has occupied the minds of the Board in the past four months. Due to the incredible response to the Major Infrastructure Pilot Program in 96/97, the Board wanted to ensure continued equal access for the communities for infrastructure development. The Board proposed contributing $1-million per community for the development of infrastructure. In addition, the Gwaii Trust Society would provide $1-million for projects that were considered to benefit all island. The Gwaii Trust Society recently approved the $1-million per community, however, the approved $1-million per community will be disbursed over a four-year period. The Gwaii Trust Society will provide $400,000 in 97/98 and $200,000 in the next three years. All projects must be approved by the Gwaii Trust Board of Directors and each community has the option of borrowing up to $1-million now, if they wish to complete infrastructure projects in a timely fashion.

In summary, the Gwaii Trust Society has allocated $1,525,967.60 to organizations, governances and societies in 96/97. In early 97/98, the Gwaii Trust will undertake a strategic planning process which will update our business plan, set out new (revised) goals and objectives and provide a five-year blueprint for the future.c

Deadlines Approaching

The next quarterly deadline for both the Micro Infrastructure Program and the Legacy Fund comes just before Christmas December 15. The Micro-Infrastructure Program was established to fund small "community" infrastructure projects that otherwise would not get funding from other sources. The Legacy Fund covers a percentage of the costs of worthwhile projects in the fields of education, training, culture, arts, youth and senior programming.

Applications for the major infrastructure program are approved by local governments for each area. That's a big responsibility for each director. And, if you're Area D director Brad Schultz, that's a big area to cover. To help him make those decisions, Brad consults with a team of volunteer advisors. The members of the Area D Local Advisory Committee are: Jean Juhas, Shirley Kricheldorf, Elizabeth Condrotte, Bill Mackay and Greg Martin. "The job of the committee is to look at proposals and decide where they fit into the Community Plan," Schultz says. "If people in Towhill, for example, have a concern they can go to Shirley or Jean." Director Kathy Pick also consults with an advisory committee in Sandspit.·

This Ain't No Party!

The task of deciding on projects is a tough one.

Being a Gwaii Trust director must be like playing Santa Claus all year round. After all, the job description is to provide funding to make wishes come true. It's just a matter of choosing who gets the money.

"That's what a lot of people think," responds Terry Carty, director for Masset. "Because you're giving away money, people think it can't be that much of an ordeal. But it's actually difficult. You may recognize the need but there is such a large number of requests and only so much money allotted for in each program."

Guiding the directors through this balancing act is a list of criteria that applicants must meet if they are to receive funding.

After board members receive all the applications for review, administrator Cliff Fregin prepares a check list to ensure projects hit all the criteria. Has the applicant attempted to find other sources of financing? Does the project timeline meet the Gwaii Trust deadline? Questions like these are spelled out on a spreadsheet for the consideration of the entire board. The administrator's recommendations are based almost entirely on this hit list.

However, when several applications arrive from the same community, directors must then place greater weight on community parity. In many cases, it is up to the director representing the area in question to prioritize applications.

"We simply don't fund all of one project, all from one area, or all from one community," Fregin adds. "Choosing is difficult. The directors really do sweat it."·

Questions & Answers

Terry Carty - Village of Masset

What experience do you bring to the Board?

I have the experience of being on Masset Village Council for six years, three of which were spent as mayor. I have been involved with the Residence Planning Advisory Committee in the early stages of the formation of the Gwaii Trust. I was on the board of the Islands Community Stability Initiative, the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District board, the North Coast Community Futures board as well as the Masset Health Care Committee, the Masset Adjustment Committee, the Graham Island Advisory Planning Commission and GTIPS. I have been an island resident for 25-plus years.

What does the Gwaii Trust Society do for the Islands?

The Gwaii Trust provides all the communities with a vehicle for growth. Islanders now have the opportunity to develop strategies for a sustainable future. It benefits residents by providing the means to access the programs and funds that otherwise wouldn't be available. The Trust was born of a vision that what the Islands have today must be passed onto the generations of the future.  Youth is our greatest asset. ·

 

The Gwaii Trust is funded from the interest of a $42-million principle sum. The original amount is inflation-proofed for future generations.

Cliff Fregin - Administrator
PO Box 397
75 Raven Avenue
Old Massett, BC V0T 1M0

p. 1.800.663.2388 · p. 250.626.3654
f. 250.626.3261 · gtrust@island.net