The Pasquia Trust
The Pasquia Trust is a new and unique agency of the Town of Carrot River and the R.M. of Moose Range #486. It was created in 2009 as a partnership between the Town and the R.M., a municipal agency through which citizens may donate financially to the present and future well-being and enhancement of our shared communities. The concept behind it was born out of the remarkable response of our citizens to the crisis of the closure of the Carrot River Hospital, its replacement by the Carrot River Health Centre and the subsequent creation of seniors' housing in the renovated former hospital. At that time, fundraising was necessary to ensure that, first of all, the best possible alternative to full hospital service could be obtained. Community and corporate financial support made that possible. When the Government offered to sell the former hospital to the municipalities for $1, citizens indicated that seniors' housing was the preference for its future use. Again, fundraising was required to achieve the reality that is now know as Pasquia Place. In both cases, a powerful sense of community pride and the generosity of individuals, organizations and businesses allowed us to achieve the best possible outcomes in the circumstances we faced. The Government served us lemons. We made lemonade. It was while reflecting upon these achievements that the idea arose of creating an opportunity for us to support the present and future well-being of the Town and R.M. in a new way. Basic to the concept is the belief that some present and former residents may wish to create legacy gifts to benefit our shared communities' existing and future wants, needs and challenges. It was known that there are many "community foundations" in Canada, operating as registered charities. They do wonderful work, but registered charity status under The Income Tax Act brings with it rolls of red tape. Registered charities are forced by law to disburse at least 80 percent of their revenues each year and in meeting that legislated demand, they are also bound by restrictions on who may receive their financial support. These are stringent reporting requirements, too, to maintain charitable status. The trade-off is that a registered charity has the right to issue official receipts that entitle their donors to Federal and Provincial income tax credits. Municipalities already had the right to issue receipts for Income Tax purposes, and therefore did not need registered charity status. What was needed was a new concept to fulfill the Councils' wish to create a community-controlled agency free of Governmental and bureaucratic interference. Research into The Municipalities Act of Saskatchewan, as amended in 2006, let to the answer. The result? The Pasquia Trust, the first entity of its kind in Saskatchewan and probably in Canada. It is an agency of the two partnering municipalities, with the ability to issue official receipts for Income Tax purposes and with control of its assets and disbursements in the hands of our own friends and neighbors. It will operate within the bounds of Federal and Provincial legislation, but local citizens will have hands-on control. A seven-member Board of Directors, comprised of residents of the Town and R.M. and all serving as volunteers, was appointed in the Fall of 2009 to guide the development of TPT. Its missions is to preserve and enhance the quality of life of residents of the Town and R.M. The aim is to accumulate sufficient assets to enable TPT to issue grants in support of worthwhile local projects and to assist local groups and organizations in their efforts to enhance our community life as "friends and neighbors", and not in competition. To achieve this, TPT is empowered to accept donations. When sufficient assets are at hand, a grant-making program will be initiated to benefit our communities as a whole. The Councils have agreed that donations to TPT will be accepted and receipted at the Town Office. Donations will be deposited to an account designated for The Pasquia Trust and recorded in the Town's financial system for auditing purposes. The municipalities will equally share TPT's operating costs, which are expected to be minimal (office supplies, postage, etc.). This means that every penny of every donated dollar will go to the purpose the donor intended. Donors may designate a preference for use of their gifts, or allow the Board discretion to meet changing circumstances. If a donor wishes to create a permanent endowment, the gift would be invested and the principal maintained, with only its earnings used for granting purposes. TPT's slogan is "Local Legacies". Its success in developing such legacies will be determined by us, as citizens. Any one of us - in fact every one of us - can support the legacy concept, whether our gifts be great or small. There are many ways to support The Pasquia Trust: A gift or pledge of money; via wills and bequests; by tribute or memorial gifts; by making TPT the beneficiary of a life insurance policy; or simply by lending a hand when volunteers are needed. When the ability to offer grants is achieved, a Board of Directors comprised of your friends and neighbors will be making the choices, for ratification by the Councils. The word "trust" in TPT's name is not a formal legal designation. It was chosen because by definition it denotes "something entrusted to someone's care for use or safekeeping", which is the exact purpose of The Pasquia Trust. In charge of that care and safekeeping are these members of the Volunteer Board: Chairman Don Wilson, Co-Chair Linda Blum, Treasurer Dorothy Hamm, Secretary Elva Borsa, Director Marg Engele and Municipal Liaison Directors Reeve Herman Enns and Alderman Dale Debienne. Oren Robison of Nipawin is an Advisor to the Board. They would welcome your comments and your participation in building Local Legacies through The Pasquia Trust. How routine transactions will work When a decision has been made to make a donation, the donor may either designate its purpose or, preferably, allow the Board discretion in its use. Donations to The Pasquia Trust can be made in person at the Carrot River Town Office at 5 Main Street in Carrot River, Saskatchewan. Donations may be mailed to: The Pasquia Trust Official receipts for Income Tax purposes will be issued on behalf
of The Pasquia Trust by the Town of Carrot River and your gift will be deposited directly
into an account designated specifically to The Pasquia Trust.
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