Canada: Province Will Not Give AIDS Prince Edward Island Funding to Maintain Executive Director

AIDS Prince Edward Island has learned the province will not cover a funding gap that leaves the agency without an executive director after June 30. When federal money for AIDS PEI was cut, the Charlottetown-based agency asked the province to pick up the $27,000 Canadian ($23,748 US) needed to pay for the executive director position. However, Health Minister Chester Gillan said the province will not fund the group.

AIDS PEI currently has three staff positions, including an executive director, a prevention and education coordinator, and a program and fundraising coordinator. The loss in funding now means Kristin Roe, who heads the agency, must train the two other staffers to pick up the workload for the 200 to 500 clients AIDS PEI serves.

Roe said AIDS PEI is the only AIDS organization in Canada that does not receive provincial funding. "So when other organizations lost the federal funding, they lost a portion of their funding," said Roe. "We lost all of our funding."

On Thursday, Legislative Assembly member Richard Brown (Liberal-Charlottetown, Kings Square) said PEI has a $5 million ($4.4 million US) contingency fund it could tap to restore the position. "A measly $27,000 [$23,748 US] is all they are asking for," said Brown, calling the province's refusal appalling. "Five hundred people in PEI are suffering from a devastating disease, a disease that ends up in death most times and this minister is saying we have no money for 500 Islanders," said Brown.

According to Gillan, the provincial government pays for treatment for people with HIV/AIDS when they go into hospital.

Back to other news for April 25, 2006