Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman attends the Big Cities summit hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Toronto on Thursday, February 5, 2015. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)
WINNIPEG — City community centres could see an injection of cash of incumbent Mayor Brian Bowman is re-elected next month.
During a policy announcement Monday at Waverley Heights Community Centre, Bowman pledged to increase the budget for the city’s community centre renovation grant program from $965,000 a year to $2 million annually for five years.
“Community centres are at the heart of where we come together as neighbours, friends, and families,” said Bowman.
“Whether it’s a social, a community fundraiser, or an evening shinny game on a crisp winter night, community centres are gathering places where residents celebrate many different milestones and aspects of life, and none of this would be possible without thousands of committed volunteers donating their time to keep the heat on and the doors open.”
The additional funding would come from surplusses within the city’s financial stabilization reserve, Bowman said.
Bowman also committed to work to ease the cost of required criminal record checks for community centre volunteers, allocating up to $50,000 from resources already budgeted within the civic initiatives fund.
Bowman also pledged the city would partially fund a new public recreation centre to be built in Waverley West — one of the fastest-growing neighbourhoods in the city. Council has already set aside $7.2 million for a future recreational space in the area.
