To the editor:
There’s a growing contradiction in how we use and understand non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Canada. Many NGOs are entirely government-funded, aligned with government policy, and coordinated with public systems, yet they’re still framed as independent from government. That framing breaks down when voters try to engage, only to be told: “This isn’t really up to you.”
That tension came into full view in Thunder Bay.
City council recently rejected, for the second time, a proposed shelter village at 114 Miles Street East. The process was open and visible: residents attended meetings, made deputations, and ultimately swayed a vote(twice!). They were supported by formal opposition from our federal MP, Marcus Powlowski. It was a clear public outcome.
At the same time, a similar project was quietly advancing just steps away at 212 Miles Street East. This one, led by Alpha Court, involves 16 transitional housing units and over $3.8 million in public funding through Ontario’s Homelessness Prevention Program.
The result? Two separate processes affecting the same neighbourhood on the same issue. One was visible and open to public challenge, the other was operating through an NGO, where the line of accountability is far less clear.
When millions of public dollars fund projects with real community impact, they should be subject to the same expectations we place on governments themselves: public scrutiny, transparency, and avenues for input or opposition. Instead, NGOs often function as policy delivery arms with none of the public mechanisms that normally come with that responsibility.
This isn’t about stopping housing, or even about this one issue. It’s about democratic integrity. If the public can’t tell who’s responsible then it creates an accountability gap.
We need to stop pretending that publicly funded NGOs are meaningfully independent. If they exist entirely because of public dollars and deliver government policy, they must also carry the public obligations that come with that role.
Andre Gagne,
Thunder Bay