Agencies urge Ottawa civil servants to open wallets

Ottawa's civil servants are being urged to donate to afundraising campaign for newcomers, at-risk youth and other vulnerable groupsthat's more than $4 million short of its goal.

Some 25 agencies supported by the United Way's workplace charitable campaign have signed an open letter calling on government workers to open their wallets and help them reach their $19-million target.

As of mid-December, the campaign has raised only $14.6 million.

"We wanted people to know it really matters, and it really makes a difference," said Kathryn Hill, executive director of Family Services Ottawa,one of the agencies that receive fundingfrom the campaign, and a co-author of the letter.

"It might seem very distant, the services that you're donating to. You don't get to see us, or know what we do. But we're here, and we rely heavily on this campaign."

Phoenix problems

The letter notes that public servants have a "long and rich tradition" of supporting Ottawa charities. However, for some of those workers, the ongoing problems with the Phoenix payroll system in 2016 haveled totheir own financial hardship.

• Single mom 'stuck in this vicious circle' sold her home due to Phoenix payroll problems
• More than 1,600 student workers at Parks Canada paid improperly by Phoenix system

Some six weeks after the federal government's self-imposed deadline to clear the backlog of payroll issues,approximately 10,000 cases arestill waiting to be resolved.

Hill toldOttawa Morninghost Robyn Bresnahan the letter wasn't meant to pressureemployees hamstrung by Phoenix problems into contributingto the campaign.

"Oh my gosh, we would never think to ask anyone who couldn't afford to donate to donate," Hill said. "We give what is meaningful to us. If someone can't give, absolutely, there would never be a thought [of urging them to] or a pressure."

Other agencies that have affixed their names to the letter include the Alliance to End Homelessness in Ottawa, the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, Operation Come Home, the Ottawa Community and Immigrant Services Organization, and the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre.

All of the agencies that signed the letter receive funding from the United Way. If the workplace charitable campaign falls short of its goal, those agencies and their clients will suffer the consequences, Hill said.

"We're all pretty lean. Over 85 per cent of our money goes directly to services," Hill said."So if we are cut because the campaign falls short, services will be cut."