Grants Application

Please accept this application for a development Grant. In order to accommodate brevity, I am including the address of our website which includes our bylaws and other supplementary documents. Our informational website is located at http://members.shaw.ca/gabriolaradio/index.htm

Introduction
A stand alone Radio broadcasting facility on Gabriola, owned by the community, operated as a co-operative is desirable from a safety, cultural, recreational and economic perspective. The Gabriola Radio Co-operative is currently completing a community FM CRTC application to obtain a broadcast licence. Part of the process includes an Industry Canada Technical Brief to be filed with the CRTC application. The Radio Co-op would very much like to pay Promethean Electronics $1,250 as payment for such a brief. Our request to the Gabriola Recreation Society is to cover the costs of an Industry Canada Technical Brief. We have raised additional monies from the community to cover other costs for the CRTC application. With a CRTC application and Technical Brief completed the Gabriola Radio Co-operative can apply to obtain a broadcast frequency.

Our application for a Grant will include the following:
• full description of our organization including name and address of applicant
• financial budget
• detailed plan of what the grant will be used for

Welcome to the future Community Radio station for Gabriola
The launch of chly fm in Nanaimo, has increased the interest for an FM broadcasting facility on Gabriola Island. A stand alone facility on Gabriola, owned by the community, operated as a co-operative is desirable from a safety, cultural, recreational and economic perspective. This application addresses the interest from the community of Gabriola for a new FM broadcast undertaking.

Gabriola Radio Co-operative operates as a volunteer organization with a growing membership consisting of Gabriola residents and visitors (see contact list). We hold regular public meetings at 7pm the first Tuesday of every month and invite you to share your ideas for Gabriola’s own FM radio station.

Our mission is to provide the island and surrounding communities of Gabriola, Valdes, Mudge, Link, DeCourcy, Ruxton, Pylades with an FM Radio Station capable of performing the following:

a. provide, local and Canadian, actors and musicians a broadcast platform on an alternative, commercial free community radio station;
b. offer the general public an intelligent, innovative, entertaining, alternative to the programming fare currently offered;
c. communicate, with the highest standards of journalism, the concerns, interests and activities of the gulf islands to the general public;
d. give groups from the community (other than partisan political or religious groups) an opportunity to communicate with their members and with the general public;
e. give individuals, from all age groups and cultural backgrounds, an
opportunity to develop and use their creative talents on radio.

Our Coverage objectives are, "to establish an ongoing community radio station that can broadcast during an extended period of declared emergency to the region under the authority of the Gabriola Provincial Emergency Coordinator and additionally Cedar, Yellowpoint and Nanaimo. This region would include the Islands in the immediate vicinity of - Valdes, Gabriola, Mudge, Link, DeCourcey, Pylades, Ruxton, Tugboat and the communities of Cedar, Yellowpoint and Nanaimo."

Community Radio can help create bridges in any diverse population base. Gabriola and the surrounding communities will benefit from this community building enterprise. Radio creates a voice that helps develop understanding, tolerance, and even acceptance among diverse groups such as exist locally.

Volunteers participate in the development and management of the new station under decisions made at our public meetings held monthly. At these meetings various tasks undertaken by the volunteers are monitored by our Volunteer Coordinator and Station Developer. Volunteer management is obtained by the establishment of governing policies which are included in our proposed Constitution and Bylaws (Chris has a copy).

Information from the consensual decisions of the group are distributed by our website <http://members.shaw.ca/PierTV/gabriolaradio/index.htm> which includes other background information for new volunteers to integrate into development of the station. The website also contains an email address that volunteers can use to post information to the entire connected membership. The public and volunteers will also be able to obtain information about the station from the Gabriola Branch Library once our CRTC application is complete.

Applicant
This application is tendered by Ken Zakreski, 1010 Keith Drive, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X2 on behalf of the membership of the Gabriola Radio Co-operative.

Financial Budget - Start up and Operations

Detailed Plan Grant Expenditure
The Gabriola Radio Co-operative is currently completing a community CRTC application to obtain an FM broadcast licence. The CRTC requires an applicant to include an Industry Canada Technical Brief signed by a Physical Engineer be filed with the CRTC application. The Radio Co-op would very much like to pay Promethean Electronics $1,250 for such a brief. Our request is for the grant to cover the costs of an Industry Canada Technical Brief. We have raised additional monies from the community to cover other costs for the CRTC application. With a CRTC application and Technical Brief completed the Gabriola Radio Co-operative can apply to obtain a broadcast frequency.

Conclusion
A stand alone Radio broadcasting facility on Gabriola, owned by the community, operated as a co-operative is desirable from a safety, cultural, recreational and economic perspective. A community radio station is a positive recreational outlet and is a skill building enterprise for its volunteers. You can secure the completion of the CRTC application by approving our Grant Application. I thank you for your anticipated support of this worthwhile project.