ST. PAUL - It’s been two months since the board of the St. Paul Abilities Network announced it was undertaking a financial and operational review of the organization. Since that time, the board has remained closed-mouthed on the situation up until Friday when the Journal received a prepared statement from the board.
The statement informs that long-time executive director Tim Bear is no longer with the organization and that SPAN is re-focusing on the delivery of services to persons with disabilities while divesting itself of business ventures that do not support its core mission.
The board refused to comment on the circumstances regarding Bear’s departure. In the prepared statement, Bear, who was at the helm of SPAN since 1992, is thanked for “his many contributions to SPAN” and wished well in his future endeavours. The board also declined to answer questions from the Journal as to why the review of the organization was necessary to begin with; nor would it comment on SPAN’s financial situation or the future of SPAN’s hotel business venture Hampton by Hilton, which opened its doors in 2018.
“I understand that there are many unanswered questions but they will be answered in due course as we move forward,” board chair Amelia Harmse stated in an email to the Journal.
MLA David Hanson also had little to say on the issue.
“My concern is that the funding remains for those that need it on the front line and that’s always been my concern,” Hanson said, adding he has “been assured by the department that that is going to take place. I’m confident the PDD funding in St. Paul will stay the same.”
SPAN is St. Paul’s largest not-for-profit organization, established in 1964. It provides programs and services to an estimated 200 people with disabilities in the area. Much of its core funding comes through Alberta Community and Social Services.
“Organizations receiving government funding are required to demonstrate how funding was allocated and report regularly on their outcomes," Diane Carter, press secretary for Community and Social Services, stated in an email to the St. Paul Journal received after its press deadline Monday. "Community and Social Services is currently conducting a review to examine how the St. Paul Abilities Network has spent funding it has received from the province. We know how important PDD resources are for individuals with a disability and their families, and we will ensure those supported by the St. Paul Abilities Network continue to receive services.”
