Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker has announced that three community projects have received a combined total of $725,300 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Community Building Fund – capital stream.
The Ontario government is providing close to $46 million to support 186 municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profit tourism, culture, sport and recreation organizations experiencing significant pressures due to COVID-19.
Among the recipients that received funding are:
Blue Water Curling Club – $164,600 – funding will replace the outdated mechanical equipment of the ice plant to ensure the continued operation of the curling club for community members.
City of Owen Sound – $400,000 – the funding will be used to purchase compressors for the arena facility and upgrade the arena’s cooling system to improve the overall efficiency of the arena.
Town of Hanover – $160,600 – the funding will be used to purchase and install accessible playground equipment for two community parks to replace outdated equipment and improve accessibility for community members.
Walker made the virtual announcement on February 25 along with officials from the City of Owen Sound, Town of Hanover, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Blue Water Curling Club.
“COVID-19 has been a challenge for so many not-for-profit tourism, culture, sport and recreation organizations, and I am proud that our government is supporting their recovery though the Community Building Fund,” said Walker. “I’m pleased to see our local communities and organizations benefiting from this commitment and this funding is a huge boost for our entire area.”
Funding through the Community Building Fund’s capital stream will help them complete much-needed sport and recreation facility infrastructure repairs – including retrofits and rehabilitation to meet COVID-19 public health requirements – to ensure they can continue to provide programs and services vital to their communities once public health measures to combat the growing surge of the Omicron variant are lifted.
“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our government has supported those struggling the most,” said Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. “These capital grants will help municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profit organizations make repairs or upgrades needed to their sport and recreation facilities to adapt to the pressures of the pandemic so they can continue to deliver programming critical to the economic and social well-being of communities across the province once their doors reopen.”
In total, the province’s Community Building Fund is investing $105 million to support community arts and culture, heritage, tourism, sport and recreation organizations that are experiencing significant financial pressures due to COVID-19. The fund is administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) through two streams: Operating and Capital. The Capital stream, which closed on September 29, 2021, is providing organizations across the province with support for:
- Construction or renovation expenses, such as materials, labour for construction and/or installation.
- Fixed equipment costs, such as large-scale fixed equipment for installation (examples include heating systems, exhaust and air conditioning systems).
- Developmental costs or project management costs.
“Since its launch, Ontario has provided 834 Community Building Fund grants to community organizations, municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profit sport and recreation organizations – enhancing the quality of life for people across the province and supporting local jobs,” said Minister MacLeod.
For a full list of Community Building Fund: Capital stream recipients, visit the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s website.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, working to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario through investments of local grants to non-profit organizations. Its programs support the arts, culture, heritage, sports and recreation, human and social services, and environment sectors across the province.
In October, the province announced more than $46 million through the Community Building Fund: Operating stream.As announced in the 2021 Budget, Ontario is investing more than $400 million over the next three years in new initiatives to support tourism, culture, sport and recreation sectors. This builds on investments of $225 million announced earlier, bringing the total support for these sectors to more than $625 million since the pandemic began.
