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Mayor to ask council to review non-profit event subsidy

Weyburn Mayor Debra Button said that she would be urging Weyburn City Council to consider policy changes to the city's banquet assistance, which provides a small grant for hosting events in the city.

Weyburn Mayor Debra Button said that she would be urging Weyburn City Council to consider policy changes to the city's banquet assistance, which provides a small grant for hosting events in the city.

The mayor was acting on concerns received from residents over a controversial speaker slated to give a presentation at a Saskatchewan Pro-Life banquet in the city.

"The hosting grant has been in place for many years. Its intent is to provide assistance to non-profit groups working on projects that benefit our community. The subsidy was never intended to provide support for divisive, controversial or political causes, but is intended to assist with meals for the event attendees. Obviously, we are going to have to revisit this policy to ensure it is being used as intended," Button said.

The policy provides an automatic per-attendee subsidy for meals hosted by registered non-profit organizations that meet certain criteria. Button said that she would be asking City Council to review the criteria and to consider a retroactive review for events that have received the subsidy but have not yet held their events.

"The decision will ultimately rest with Council but it will carry my strong recommendation. Obviously, we all want policies that support harmony in our community," Button said.