By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Arenas, pitches, ball diamonds and trails help keep Albertans and their communities healthy and vibrant, a cabinet minister said in touting a topped-up initiative that contributes dollars to sports and recreation projects.
Andrew Boitchenko said that curling rinks, pickleball courts and other sports-and-rec infrastructure tie strongly to physical and mental well-being across the province.
Approvals worth an extra $5 million pushed grants under the Active Communities Initiative to $14 million this year. But enough demand exists for even greater provincial participation, said Boitchenko, the minister of tourism and sport and the UCP member for Drayton Valley-Devon.
“I was happy to hear we were getting the top-up because we’re oversubscribed,” Boitchenko told this reporter.
The bump is a one-timer, but Boitchenko said he’ll advocate for more money in coming years because of the initiative’s importance and popularity.
“If we (the ministry) had it our way, we’d probably have $30 million that we could spend on building healthy communities across the province.”
Along with one project in Edmonton and two in Calgary, four were approved in northern Alberta, nine in central Alberta and four in southern Alberta.
In announcing the funding last month, the provincial government said the expansions, improvements and new construction will create short-term and long-term employment while stimulating local economies to the tune of $46 million.
Communities need new and revitalized facilities to support kids’ sports and active lifestyles, the province said.
The list of approvals includes Brooks Community Football Association, which received support for an outdoor multi-sport complex at Brooks Junior High School.
Pincher Creek Curling Club, meanwhile, earned support for a new curling facility, and Taber Golf Club got money too, for a clubhouse renewal and upgrade.
At Chiniki First Nation, west of Calgary, provincial money is going towards the Chiniki Gathering Place indoor gymnasium.
The hamlet of Neerlandia near Barrhead, northwest of Edmonton, is converting an outdoor sports pad rink into one with a roof, and the Drayton Valley Community Foundation of the town east of the foothills and west of Edmonton is building a multi-sport dome.
Nordegg Goldeye Foundation Society is enhancing outdoor recreation infrastructure beside Highway 11 in the countryside along the edge of the Rocky Mountains, west of Rocky Mountain House.
Some 250 kilometres away but along the same east-west corridor lies Delburne, a village near Red Deer. There, the agriculture society is upgrading the arena under the slogan Strong Ice, Strong Community.
And 200 km northeast of Edmonton in St. Paul, Reunion Station sports building is being renewed and made more accessible.
These and other projects on the approvals list must raise at least 50 per cent of their funding to qualify, which Boitchenko called a great indication of need and commitment.
“Coming from a business background, I know that the deal is always healthier if everybody has skin in the game,” he said.
When fundraisers, community groups and local governments get involved, dollars go further, he said. “We can do way more.”
The federal government, in fact, should get in on the act.
“I’m advocating right now with the federal government to start matching a little bit with us as well. It’s a long conversation to have, but it’s something they don’t disagree with,” Boitchenko said.
