Believing that every resident should be able to participate in recreation programs regardless of their financial standing, Oro-Medonte has adopted a new recreation fee assistance program.
At Wednesday’s meeting, township council voted to support the program with a draft budget of $5,000, which is expected to be approved by council at the upcoming budget meetings in April.
“Sport used to be the great equalizer and I think for a lot of kids now, they’re at a substantial disadvantage from being able to participate as we continue to move more and more towards specialization in youth sport, and it's unfortunate,” said Coun. David Clark.
“I think this is a great step forward for the township to be able to help everyone in our community take part in sports," the councillor added.
According to a report prepared for council by Jodi Grubb, supervisor of community recreation and special events, the township acknowledges the “significant health and well-being benefits derived from positive recreation,” but at the same time understands financial constraints can limit participation for some families.
“This policy aims to facilitate financial assistance and equitable access to recreation for residents in the low income bracket,” she wrote in her report.
According to Grubb, the program, which was originally recommended by Coun. John Bard about a year ago, will be governed by a policy that provides guidance and ensures consistency, compliance with laws and regulations, establishes accountability and outlines procedures to mitigate potential risks.
We Are The Villagers, the external partner and recognized authority on delivering programs of this nature, will manage and distribute the funds on the township’s behalf, to ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of the funding recipients.
“They have established processes that allow for a fair, unbiased and confidential application and approval process, and will ensure that township funds are distributed equitably to qualifying individuals and families of the municipality,” Grubb said.
To be eligible for funding, a family’s income (after taxes) must be at or below the income listed in the most recent Statistics Canada Low Income Measure (LIM) cut-off table.
The LIM cut-off table is a set of thresholds estimated by Statistics Canada that identify Canadians whose incomes are below half of the median of the adjusted income distribution.
Family size includes the applicant, spouse or partner, and dependents living in the household.
Grubb noted that while funding is only available to residents of Oro-Medonte, the policy will allow recipients to use the money for a variety of recreation programs, including municipally offered activities, other sports organizations and those offered by private or contracted providers.
“Registration in any recreation program, whether municipally offered, or those offered by external recreation providers, is eligible for funding allocations,” Grubb wrote.
“Given the lack of recreational infrastructure in Oro-Medonte, this includes activities (like swimming) that may be offered in neighbouring municipalities as well.”
Oro-Medonte staff will monitor the program for effectiveness and participant satisfaction. The results of the program will be shared with council during the following year’s budget deliberations.
That way, Grubb said, subsequent allocations can be suitably matched to the demonstrated need.
Applicants to the program will need to provide a variety of documents including proof of residency (a utility bill that’s not more than two months old), copy of a housing lease agreement, a valid driver’s licence and documentation of total household income — T4, ODSP statement of assistance or payment card, Ontario Works statement of assessment, Guaranteed income Supplement (GIS) monthly statement.
Applicants will also have to provide details of the requested recreation program including provider, location, length, fees and description.
“Should a funding recipient not have a program of choice, the agency will assist to provide suitable recommendations,” Grubb said.
According to Grubb, We Are The Villagers will provide a quarterly status update to township staff.
“I think all of council agrees — it’s a great initiative and we’ll build on it as we move forward,” Mayor Randy Greenlaw said just before calling the vote, which was unanimously in favour of the program.