Many Rivers counselling to close, citing loss of gov't contract

The board of Yukon'sMany Rivers Counselling and Support Services says its members must resign and close the agency's doors, since its government funding has apparently dried up.

"We are not happy. We are not content with the situation. We are, if anything, devastated and really hopeless at this point," said Paige Galette, a vice-president on the seven-member board.

"We feel that there is no way we can move forward, and so unfortunately we are forced to resign from the society."

On Friday, the territorial government announced in a news release a "new delivery model" for counselling services in Yukon. The Canadian Mental Health Association, All Genders Yukon and the government's Mental Wellness and Substance Use Services branch were named as service providers.

Many Rivers had also bid on the contract, andGalette says her organization was hopeful and optimisticuntil they saw the news on Friday.

"We received no information from the government that they were going to release a press release. We actually found the press release by accident," she said.

"It's very disappointing and we are left with no hope."

Many Rivers had long held the government contract for counselling services in the territory worth about $2 million annually but trouble started brewing a year ago.

A dispute last summer over board membership was followed by a months-long strike over the winter. Government funding was also halted when the Many Rivers society was deemed to be non-compliant with Yukon's Societies Act.

An investigation by Yukon's Registrar of Societies, followed by the election of a new board, prompted the agency to say last spring that it was again in compliance with the Societies Act, and ready to resume services assuming the government funding would startflowing again.

The society is now about $200,000 in debt, Galette said.

"We've done everything the Yukon government has told us. We went in there with good faith,and unfortunately this is what wegot as a result," Galette said.

"We were met with bad faith."

'Still in discussions'

In a statement emailed to CBCon Monday, government spokesperson Matthew Cameron confirmed that Many Rivers has not been awarded a contract, but said the government was "still in discussions" with the Many Rivers board.

"[Many Rivers'] application was reviewed and deemed acceptable, but is still under review pending the resolution of some outstanding issues with the Many Rivers organization," the email says.

But Galette says Many Rivers has been leftin the dark. The government recently ordered an investigative audit of the organization, and Galette says her boardhas asked to see the report.

"It's kind of hard to be in talks with someone when they don't give you the full picture of what's happening," she said.

"Until we've, as Many Rivers board, received some form of clear indication and clear information from government that there is still hope ... I think we're forced to believe that there isn't."

The Many Rivers board is planning a public town hall discussion on Thursday evening in Whitehorse. In a news release, it says the event is for the board"to share and communicate a timeline of events, clarify the position and state of its organization and open the floor for questions and concerns."