Sun Dawg Festival grant request denied by council

Council declines $500 grant for music event, citing existing Bellecrest Days funding and lack of clarity

Crowsnest Pass council voted against awarding a $500 Category 3 grant to the Sun Dawg Festival Committee during its April 1 regular meeting, with several councillors voicing concern over overlapping funding, lack of financial clarity, and the original intent behind Category 3 support.

The grant application, submitted by the Sun Dawg Festival Committee, sought funding for a summer music event slated to take place during Bellecrest Days. While the committee framed it as a distinct musical performance supporting local artists, council members said the event was already included in the 2025 Bellecrest Days application, which had received a significant funding increase in recent years.

“In my opinion, this application is a little bold – trying to get a little bit of extra money,” said Councillor Glen Girhiny, “I thought we had already covered this pretty well last year under Bellecrest.”

CAO Patrick Thomas confirmed that Bellecrest Days’ municipal grant was historically $5,000 but had been raised to $7,500 annually. Bellecrest’s 2025 request ranges from $20,000 to $25,000 — part of a multi-year effort to grow the event. Thomas added that the concert element was explicitly listed in the Bellecrest Days 2025 application as a planned expense.

Councillor Dean Ward echoed Girhiny’s reservations. “Wasn’t this already a part of the original request? I seem to recall it was mentioned,” he said, noting he tried to track down any previous standalone application by the Sun Dawg Festival but found no conclusive record. “Still, something about this feels familiar, like it’s already baked into Bellecrest.”

The Category 3 grant stream is intended for brand-new events and one-off projects to seed community programming — a distinction several councillors emphasized.

“Category 3 was meant for new events in the community,” said Councillor Doreen Glavin, “Meanwhile, Category 1 and 2 are for events with ongoing or year-over-year support.”

Glavin also raised concerns about transparency regarding event proceeds. “Do the proceeds from the Sun Dawg concert stay with Bellecrest or go to the Sun Dawg group? There’s no answer to that in the application, so it’s difficult to fully assess.”

Mayor Blair Painter added that fairness between community events was also a factor.