A plea from Smiths Falls Mayor Shawn Pankow went unheard as he advocated for local funding to prop up the non-profit counselling organization Pivotal Help.
Pankow was disappointed to see their application for a slice of the 2026 Community Grants fall short of eligibility requirements, and tried to reverse the staff recomendation.
The staff report shows their application is ineligible because they receive funding support from other government agencies.
Council set a budget aside $220,000 for community grant applications this year, and with the other 22 successful organizations receiving all or most of their funding request, the total amount is $219,190.
That means the funding would have to be reallocated among the successful applicants or council would go over budget to support Pivotal Help’s request of $9,040 to host a funding application window for local residents.
The other organizations unsuccessful in their applications were the Smiths Falls Kinsmen Club, the Smiths Falls Squash and Curling Club, and the Chamber of Commerce.
Councillor Dawn Quinn contests while the organization addresses gaps existing within the mental health field, it is the higher-tier governments which should address those first.
Quinn says if that plays out, then local governments can look into propping up organizations.
The majority of council sided with staff.
Story by Grant Deme
