Recreation Grants Program - 1999 Major and

Minor Recreation Appeals - All Wards

The Economic Development and Parks Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (June 24, 1999) from the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism:

Purpose:

This report presents the allocations for the Recreation Grants Program for three applicants appealing their recommendations and one applicant whose application was not processed in a timely manner.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

An amount of $9,890.00 was set aside for appeals in the Major and Minor Recreation Grants Programs Budget, which is sufficient for the recommendations contained in this report.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the Alliance of Portuguese Clubs and Associations of Ontario be awarded an additional $1,500.00 for a total grant of $16,500.00;

(2)Canadian Stage Company be awarded an additional $2,000.00 for the 1999 production of "Dream in High Park" for a total grant of $43,000.00;

(3)Ralph Thornton Centre be awarded an additional $1,500.00 for a total grant $5,600.00;

(4)Toronto Christian Resource Centre be awarded a grant of $4,890.00; and

(5)the appropriate City officials be authorized to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Council Reference/Background/History:

The City of Toronto's Grants Policy, contained in Clause No. 5 of Report No. 26 of The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee and adopted by Council on December 16 and 17, 1999, established the right of an appeal for any applicant applying to the City for a grant through any of its various programs. The 1999 Recreation Grants Program allocations were presented to the Economic Development and Parks Committee on June 21, 1999. Three applicants appealed the grant recommended to their agencies. Staff have reviewed the original recommendations and have considered the additional information presented through deputations.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

All three of the organizations appealing their recommendations are returning applicants and had been awarded grants.

The Alliance of Portuguese Clubs and Associations of Ontario:

This group is responsible for the annual Portugal Day Parade and Associated Festivities, and was recommended for a grant of $15,000.00. The appeal, through Councillor Mario Silva, Trinity Niagara, is attached as Appendix A. For several years this organization was given an annual grant of $10,000.00 by the former City of Toronto from the floor of Council, not through a specific grants program. In 1998, during the first year of amalgamation, there was no appropriate source of funding for the request of $10,000.00. To accommodate the request $6,977.00 from the Recreation Grants Appeal Fund was awarded and an additional $13,023.00 was given from the Contingency Fund for a combined grant of $20,000.00. The extra money from the Contingency Fund was not transferred to the 1999 Recreation Grants Budget. This year's request was for $40,000.00, almost 10 percent of the Minor Recreation Grants Budget.

There is no question that this festival brings economic benefits to the City. There has been a great increase in the number of organizations that apply to the Minor Recreation Grants Program for support of community-based festivals and special events. This year over 13 percent of the budget has been allocated to such festivals. While these festivals are deserving of support, such demands on the budget cannot be sustained without jeopardizing the community sports and leisure activities that are volunteer driven and are the primary purpose of the Recreation Grants Program.

Canadian Stage Company:

This company has been funded through the Major Recreation Grants Program for many years. It does not meet the criteria for this program. It is recommended that in future years this grant be awarded through the Arts and Culture Grants Program of the City. For the past few years including 1999, this company has received a City arts grant of $739,750.00 annually. The request from the Major Recreation Grants Program has increased from $44,816.00 in 1998 to $100,000.00. The "Dream in High Park" is free or "pay what you can" and approximately 60,000 attend during the summer. The production is fully professional and costs about $420,000.00 annually.

Ralph Thornton Centre:

This centre has applied for funding for the Summer Fun Day Camp which serves children, ages 3 to 12, in Greater Riverdale, a high needs community. The letter of appeal, Appendix"B", requests a $2,500.00 increase over the flatline allocation of $4,100.00 recommended in the allocations report. This agency received funding cuts of $12,000.00 from Human Resources Development Canada in 1998 and $5,000.00 from an environmental agency in 1999. Both of these have had a huge impact on the agency's ability to deliver an enriched summer program and leadership opportunities for the children in this community. It is not customary practice for the City to replace grants that have been cut from other levels of government. However, as sufficient funds remain, an exception can be made.

Toronto Christian Resource Centre:

This centre provides social and recreational summer programs for roomers and public housing tenants in the downtown area. No appeal was filed as no recommendation was made. In 1998, one application was used to streamline the flatline approach of grants programs for Community Services Grants, Emergency Services Fund and Minor Recreation Grants. An applicant filled out only one application but noted the different programs that were to be accessed. This process changed in 1999 but this agency applied in the same manner. The agency applied within the deadline and has met all the eligibility and allocations criteria. The Emergency Services Fund will not report out until September, so the application had not been reviewed prior to the preparation of the Recreation Grants Program Allocations Report. The application from the Toronto Christian Resource Centre for the summer camp program has now been reviewed.

In 1998, the Centre requested a Minor Recreation Grant of $6,000.00 and received $4,500.00. The request for 1999 is at the same level as last year. A brief report on the centre is attached as Appendix C. It would seem appropriate that the Toronto Christian Resource Centre receive funding for its recreation programming.

Conclusions:

The three applicants who have appealed their recommendations, namely the Alliance of Portuguese Clubs and Associations of Ontario, Canadian Stage Company and the Ralph Thornton Centre, and the Toronto Christian Resource Centre provide worthy programs and are deserving of support. Sufficient funds exist to increase City support to all four organizations. This is based on a review of the Recreation Grants Program applications and the additional information presented through deputations.

Contact Name:

Ms. Cathi Forbes, 395-6192.

(A copy of Appendices A, B and C attached to the foregoing report was forwarded to all Members of Council with the July 12, 1999 agenda of the Economic Development and Parks Committee and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)