(Submitted photo/Beaver River Archery Club)

By Nicole Reis

RECREATION GRANT DOLLARS

R.M. and city discuss how to spend community grant for recreation programming

May 27, 2020 | 5:25 PM

Councillors for the City of Meadow Lake and R.M. of Meadow Lake are discussing the possibility of pooling funds awarded from the Saskatchewan Lotteries Community Grant Program (SLCGP). The hope is to benefit the entire district.

The SLCGP is a partnership among Sask Sport Inc., SaskCulture Inc. and the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association Inc. It provides funds to non-profit community organizations that develop sport and recreation programs.

Meadow Lake’s City Manager Diana Burton told meadowlakeNOW the city does two intakes of the program each year. April’s intake was delayed due to the pandemic. The second is expected this October. The city receives approximately $45,000 per year. Recently over $20,000 was issued to eight recreation groups.

Councillor Conrad Read who sits on the Meadow Lake parks and recreation board said R.M. councillors used to pool their SLCGP funding, but since the 2017-2018 recreation season, the R.M. distributed its own funds to rural groups.

Current discussions underway could see the resources pooled together again for the 2021 recreation season.

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Leadership from both communities are seeking better communication as they process applications to ensure no one is applying to both to the R.M. and to the city’s funding allotment. Read said if the R.M. didn’t have enough applicants to the program, they may be required to return the money to the province.

Gina Bernier, chief administrative officer with the R.M. of Meadow Lake, told meadowlakeNOW she wants to see more rural organizations apply.

“Right now, council still wants to maintain how we administer grant funding,” Bernier said. “Whether we do it or whether we join another force, who knows. But now council wanted to see more rural residents understand they are eligible to apply to these grants.”

Bernier clarified the municipality is not turning down provincial funding for recreational projects. It currently has two projects and is seeking additional applications.

“We’re trying to find eligible applications to fulfill the full amount of dollars that we do get from the grant program,” she said.

Each year, the R.M. receives $15,881 from the provincial program. While the program establishes the criteria for funding, it is up to municipal administrators to ensure an application meets eligibility requirements.

Bernier said the eligibility criteria can lead to a lack of applications.

“I feel the criteria for the community grants is a little strict and cumbersome for us to find enough people to apply for projects,” she said. “There are lots of projects but not many are eligible because of the strict criteria.”

R.M. council will be looking at the community grant funding at their June council meeting and will discuss where they’d like to go with the program funding. The deadline for R.M. recreation applications is June 15. Criteria can be found here. The RM encourages any rural recreation project to submit an application here.

While the city has yet to determine if grant applications have been extended due to pandemic, applications and criteria can be found here.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722