The Province has announced funding of $1.7 million to support public engagement related to the upcoming HST referendum. As part of that announcement, the Province has appointed Stephen Owen a former B.C. Ombudsman and current UBC Vice President External, Legal and Community Relations, acting in a personal capacity, to be an independent funding decision maker for a Public Dialogues Fund of $500,000.
The Province will “create a Public Dialogues Fund of $500,000 to be independently managed by the province’s public universities, colleges and institutes to hold informative public dialogues in advance of the referendum.”
“In order to ensure a fair process for allocating public funding and mediate any disputes over the format and locations for the public dialogues, the Honourable Stephen Owen, QC, PC has been appointed as an independent funding decision-maker,” says the April 14 news release. “Owen, a former B.C. Ombudsman, is acting in a personal capacity utilizing his extensive background in public engagement and mediation. He will make public funding allocation decisions for both sides as well as finalizing an appropriate format and locations for the public dialogues.”
To see the announcement: http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2011/04/17-million-announced-for-hst-referendum-public-engagement.html
