On May 2, local MPP Steve Clark announced that several organizations and two municipalities in the riding will be receiving provincial funding to help them bounce back in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding – provided through the Resilient Communities Fund – will be distributed between five organizations, one of which is Beth Donovan Hospice, and two municipalities, one of which is the Municipality of North Grenville.
The funds being provided are earmarked for specific purposes. The Municipality will receive a grant of $100,000 over a period of 12 months which will be used to renovate the Riverside Park multi-use pathway to a 1-kilometre accessible loop, the purpose of which is to help encourage active living for everyone in the community. North Grenville was already crowned Canada’s Most Active Community in 2021, but this project would help to ensure that active living is accessible to all. “As Canada’s most active community, North Grenville continues to seek opportunities to expand our outdoor recreational amenities,” said Mayor Nancy Peckford. “With support from the Province, we are able to build a multi-use pathway around the periphery of Riverside Park for individuals of all ages and abilities to enjoy.” Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture Mark Guy also weighed in, saying “Riverside Park is the crown jewel of the Municipality of North Grenville’s park system. The Municipality is undertaking a revitalization project at the park that will see a new accessible changeroom facility, a refrigerated outdoor rink, and a splash pad. The addition of a 3 metre wide paved multi-use pathway around the park will further enhance the experience of residents and visitors, especially our senior population, providing a safe and accessible way to exercise while enjoying all the surrounding activities within the park.”
Beth Donovan Hospice will receive a grant of $39,900 over the 12-month period, which will be “invested” in the hiring of an individual to implement its fundraising plan and build community partnerships to raise needed funds to continue its programs. “We are very pleased to have received this grant,” said the Hospice’s Executive Director, Susan Walker. “It will enable us to continue our outreach to the more rural areas of our catchment area, and to implement our fundraising plan to help offset some of the losses in fundraising revenue as a result of COVID. As an agency that is only partially funded by the Ministry of Health, it is necessary for us to raise funds each year to continue to offer our services free of charge to all residents and this grant will enable us to continue to do this.”
In total, the Ontario government is providing $95.8 million this year through the Resilient Communities Fund to help 1,146 non-profit organizations across the Province to recover and rebuild. The Resilient Communities Fund provides grants of up to $150,000 to eligible non-profit organizations to cover a broad range of needs. The Ontario Trillium Foundation will continue to offer the Resilient Communities Fund in 2022-23 to help more eligible non-profit organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19. Application information can be found at https://www.otf.ca/our-grants/resilient-communities-fund.
