Municipalities may be getting some help from the province with regards to building or fixing up existing recreation facilities. The Provincial Government announced a new grant for communities during the recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference in Ottawa. This could be a shot in the arm for those people who want a new swimming pool. Town of Kapuskasing Administrator Guylain Baril says Council will have to decide next month how to proceed through its new strategic plan, and whether apply for funding. He says there must be some balance when going through this process.
“If we think of the existing facilities like the arena, the pool and the curling club, they are all subsidized by tax payers money,” Baril said. “So before council says yes we want a new people, we need to think about a life-cycle cost of building these facilities. The grant goes to the construction of the facility but we have to think about maintaining them.”
The Province’s new grant could fund nearly 75 per cent of a municipalities’ project.
