The City of Barrie will receive a $260,000 provincial grant over 14 months to install a basketball court which will double as an outdoor artificial rink at Centennial Park.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Eleanor McMahon announced the provincial grant Tuesday at Gilda's Club in Barrie as part of Ontario's 150th Anniversary Celebration.
The province is investing $25 million in the Ontario 150 Community Capital Program for 203 capital projects across the province.
The funding is administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
The aim of the basketball court and ice rink is to foster more active lifestyles by providing infrastructure for unstructured and structured physical activities.
It will have an impact on the lives of 99,999 people in the community, according to the ministry.
Gilda's Club is receiving $24,000 to replace the water heater, HVAC system control components and address flooding issues.
The Women's and Children's Shelter of Barrie will receive a $40,000 grant over 5 months to install new fire detection equipment and purchase new windows to achieve better energy efficiency.
Building inclusive and engaged communities together, this initiative is helping people who are isolated have connections in their community, and has an impact on the lives of 6,400 people in the community, the ministry says.
The MacLaren Art Centre is getting 26,000 to enhance their cultural space through the installation of sculptures.
Enriching people’s lives through arts, culture and heritage, this initiative is helping arts, culture and heritage have appropriate spaces, and has an impact on the lives of 46,000 people in the community, according to the province.
The grants are all part of the government's Ontario 150 Community Capitol Program that will help not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, and Indigenous communities renovate, repair and retrofit existing community and cultural infrastructure.
The support will be used to increase accessibility, improve safety and maximize community use of public space.
