Oxford County council refuses funding to groups looking to raise awareness of the plight of the bee
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Buzz off was the message most Oxford County councillors sent to a group looking for money to raise awareness about problems plaguing bees.
The Ingersoll District Nature Club, in conjunction with the Compass Partnership, plan to dedicate Nov. 25 to Nov. 27 as Oxford County Pollination Awareness Week.
Members attended council Wednesday to ask for funding of up to $5,600 to cover the cost of the activities planned that week. The idea for the week-long awareness campaign came after a successful one-evening event was held in June discussing the ongoing controversy of a group of farm-use pesticides known as neonicotinoids.
"After that event, we knew there was a lot of interest from people who wanted to know more about risks to pollinators and what can be done," Rick Roach from Compass Partnership said.
The week would include two town-hall meetings and eight sessions for both elementary and high school involving expert guest speakers.
Planned guest speakers would include George Scott, an award-winning environmentalist and director of the Niagara Beeway, and Patty Moss, an affiliate of the Beeway and nature club teacher.
The majority of the money requested to council would go towards paying these guest speakers.
Warden Don McKay cautioned councillors about the dangers of providing monetary assistance to an event of this nature, as it could open the door for other health-related events to ask for help.
"When it comes to the funding, what is the proper support?" he said.
He suggested an in-kind donation or a possible partnership between Oxford County public health as more appropriate. Several councillors, including Margaret Lupton and Don Doan, disagreed the public is unaware of the issues facing pollinators.
"The farmers that I have talked to are keenly aware of this issue, and they are concerned too," Lupton said. "They count on pollinators more than consumers do."
Doan acknowledged problems plague pollinators but also said no one knows the real cause at this time.
"Research has been going on for several years. It's a very complicated thing," he said.
"The awareness is certainly out there. They are trying to find the cause of it."
With the exception of Ingersoll Mayor Ted Comiskey and Tillsonburg Mayor Dave Beres all of the other councillors voted against funding the events.
Although disappointed, Deb Bomans, secretary for the Ingersoll District Nature Club, said it was still "win-win" for the cause.
"We've had a chance to raise awareness here," she said. "Obviously we were looking for some support here today, but I thought perhaps they would think on it and get back to us -not vote it out completely."
A Trillium Grant has been applied for to help cover the cost of the events, but an answer will not be received until just a few weeks before the event.
The groups will now look for other grants and financial support to fund the events.