The Stanley Park Ecology Society has been left out in the cold by the B.C. government’s gaming cuts, hurting efforts to conserve the Vancouver landmark, critics said late last week.
The SPES is one of the more than 6,800 charities and community groups across the province left reeling by a $77-million cut to gaming revenue grants.
The society has lost a $60,000 grant that funds a conservation awareness program that educates nearly 10,000 students each year. Its Co-Existing with Coyotes program is also at risk, the society said.
“These programs benefit our entire city and teach environmental education to kids, some who’ve never been in a forest before,” said NDP arts critic Spencer Herbert.
SPES executive director Patricia Thomson called the cuts “shortsighted.”
“Supporting conservation programs is vital to teaching environmental responsibility to children at a young age because they’ll eventually become the stewards of our oceans and forests,” she said.
