BARRHEAD - The Town of Barrhead hopes to use a little-known federal government grant to upgrade municipal facilities and make them more accessible to people with disabilities.
On June 25, councillors instructed administration to apply for an Enabling Accessibility Fund grant through Employment and Social Development Canada.
The Government of Canada (GOC) created the fund as part of its Disability Inclusion Action Plan, first launched in 2022.
Those eligible for the funds include for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, Indigenous groups and territorial governments.
Chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc learned about the program and its details through a webinar the municipality attended with Barrhead and District Family Community Support Services executive director Karen Pronishen.
"The maximum grant for any one project is $125,000, and the available funding pool is limited to $14.7 million," he said, adding it is a matching grant, with successful applicants providing 25 per cent of project funds. In the town's case, the municipality would have to contribute upwards of $41,650 if they received the maximum amount.
LeBlanc added that the GOC had earmarked $7.7 million for prioritized specific projects, such as homelessness and violence-based shelters, food and clothing banks, and Indigenous projects, limiting available funds for municipalities to about $7 million.
"That is not a lot of money," he said, adding he is not sure what chance municipalities like Barrhead will have. "Of that, you can infer that about two-thirds of the funding will go to Eastern Canada, while the balance could go to the larger cities in Western Canada, but I think it is worth our effort to make an application and see just how far we can go."
LeBlanc added representatives from the Barrhead Accessibility Coalition met with parks and recreation staff at the splash park and identified several potential projects.
The deadline to apply is July 23, and applicants should learn if they will be successful in the fall.
"The timing is perfect as council and staff could discuss potential projects as part of the budget cycle," LeBlanc said.
Coun. Rod Klumph asked if any of the municipality's buildings, specifically the public works building, were on the list as potential projects for the grant.
"Does it have an accessible entryway?" he asked.
LeBlanc replied in addition to the previously mentioned meeting at the splash park on June 24, he met with Barrhead Accessibility Coalition members again and asked them to prepare a list of six priority items that they could share with councillors during their budget deliberations, what is on their list.
"What is on that list will be up to them," he said, adding that in response to Klumph's initial question, he did not believe the public works had mobility-challenged or disability access.
Coun. Dave Sawatzky asked if the municipality, if successful, could use the funds to help local businesses improve their accessibility.
LeBlanc said he wasn't sure. However, if council wanted to discuss possibilities about potential private sector partnerships, it is something they could investigate.
"The key, from my perspective, is getting a list of priorities from the coalition," he said.
Coun. Dausen Kluin ended the discussion, moving to instruct administration to apply for the grant.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
