MOOSE JAW — City hall received over $420,000 in grants during this year’s second quarter, with that money going to support initiatives at venues like the Kinsmen Sportsplex and the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery.
The department of strategic growth provided an update during city council’s Aug. 25 executive committee meeting about all the applications it submitted between April and June to various governmental organizations and the grants it successfully received.
The report showed that the city received $423,140 in total grants, including:
- $100,000 from SaskPower’s Commercial Energy Optimization Program for pool mechanical system upgrades at the Kinsmen Sportsplex
- $100,000 from SaskPower’s Commercial Energy Optimization Program for upgrades at the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery, including a cooling system and a new boiler
- $100,000.00 from SaskPower’s Commercial Energy Optimization Program for mechanical upgrades at the city complex
- $70,000 from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) climate-ready plans fund for a climate risk assessment study
- $38,1400 from the FCM’s municipal fleet fund for a zero-emission transit study
- $10,000 from Tree Canada for trees at the Rosedale Cemetery
- $5,000 from SaskCulture for the National Day for the Truth and Reconciliation celebration in September
Staff in the department also submitted three grant applications during the quarter, including:
- $11,726,173 to the Canada Housing and Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) for Spring Creek stormwater management system upgrades
- $75,000 to the Saskatchewan government’s Targeted Sector Support Initiative for an accessibility study, in partnership with the City of Swift Current
- $50,000 to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice for a community safety and well-being study, in partnership with Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce
“It is currently unknown when a decision will be made regarding the outcome of these pending applications,” the report said.
The report noted that the $300,000 from SaskPower has enabled the city to create a replacement reserve fund that will generate future savings for the community services department.
Furthermore, the $38,140 from FCM for the zero-emission transit study will negate the need to use municipal funds, which is something that concerned council during a discussion it had about the study in May, the report said.
During that meeting, council approved using $18,120 from the solar initiatives fund, $10,000 from transportation’s consulting services fund and $10,000 from transportation’s legal support fund as a contingency if FCM did not provide the grant.
The next executive committee meeting is Monday, Sept. 8.
