Hamilton East New Democrat MPP Andrea Horwath slammed the McGuinty Liberal government for ignoring and misleading an obvious candidate for citizenship and immigration funding.

She was joined by members of Hamilton’s Hindu Samaj Temple who were at Queen’s Park today to say they’re angry that the McGuinty Liberals deceived and misled them about the availability of government funds they’ve actively sought for years. On September 15, 2001, the group’s $1.8 million, self-funded religious and regional cultural centre was destroyed by arson in what police deemed was a post-September 11 racially motivated hate crime.

After the arson, the Hindu Samaj congregation had to fundraise yet again and build anew. On top of its own fundraising, the group received $400,000 from insurance, $120,000 from the federal government and $10,000 from the City of Hamilton to help rebuild, but is shackled with a $300,000 bank loan and $50,000 in current capital commitments, according to their audited KPMG statements.

“Throughout 2005 and 2006, McGuinty Liberals told us religious organizations could not apply or qualify for government funds,” said Ram Kamath, President of Hindu Samaj Temple. “We see this now to be patently untrue,” he said, noting a large chunk of the $32 million McGuinty Liberal slush fund went to religious organizations without so much as an application form, while his group was hitting a brick wall. “We do not begrudge the groups who received money,” Kamath stressed. “But we are incensed we were not told potential funding existed and were not given a fair chance to apply for it.”

On October 24, 2005 Horwath wrote to Premier Dalton McGuinty seeking funds for the temple. She raised the issue in the Ontario Legislature on October 18, 2005 and again on March 2 and May 29, 2006. The tragedy of the temple’s destruction inspired Hamilton’s current strides toward social inclusion, as the mayor of the day established Strengthening Hamilton’s Community Initiative, she said.

“I am beyond appalled that the Premier and his minister, Hamilton Mountain MPP Marie Bountrogianni, concealed the existence of capital funding opportunities from the victims of Ontario’s worst post 9-11 hate crime. I again call on the McGuinty government to help complete the Hindu Samaj Temple restoration,” said Horwath. “Community members funded this wonderful project once. They can’t afford to fund it twice.”

The group applied for and received $31,500 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2006 to buy fitness equipment for its wellness program, but Kamath said he was told to say nice things about the Liberal government in exchange.