The City of Toronto’s Welcome Policy provides a fee subsidy to help individuals and families with low-income who live in Toronto access City-operated recreation programs. If you are approved for Welcome Policy, you will receive an annual financial credit that can be spent on any of the wide variety of high-quality recreation programs offered by the City throughout the year.
Effective January 1, 2022, the individual annual credit amounts will be increased to $594 for children and youth and $274 for adults and seniors. Welcome Policy recipients can look up their balance online.
To be an Applicant (Main Contact on Application Form), you must be at least 18 years of age or older.
Applicants and their families must also:
Note: This information is based on Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), and is in effect from May 31, 2021.
People who receive Ontario Works Assistance automatically meet the income requirements and should speak to their caseworker about Welcome Policy (no application form is needed).
People who receive Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD) meet the income requirements but are required to submit an Application Form with the supporting documents (verification of ID, address, and income).
Clients can drop into their local community centre for assistance filling out the application form.
Before mailing your application, please make sure:
Applications should be mailed to:
City of Toronto
Welcome Policy Application
55 John Street – Mail Room
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 3C6
Completed Welcome Policy applications and supporting documents can be dropped off at Toronto City Hall, Scarborough Civic Centre, Etobicoke Civic Centre and North York Civic Centre. Download a list of acceptable support documentation and drop-off locations.
You can also fax your Welcome Policy application and supporting documents to 416-338-5046. Please note that faxing is not a secure method of transmitting information.
Once you have been approved for the Welcome Policy, you will receive a letter containing a Family Number and a confidential Client Number for each member of your household.
You will need your Family Number and Client Number to register for programs offered at Recreation and Community Centres.
To learn more, visit How to Register for Recreation Programs.
You can check the balance of your Welcome Policy subsidy by calling 416-396-7378 or check your balance online.
You need to re-apply for the Welcome Policy every year since one of the eligibility criteria is your income level in the previous year. If you are receiving Ontario Works Assistance, your subsidy will automatically be renewed.