Government Funding to Increase Sport Accessibility
Prince George, B.C. – People with different abilities living in the North and other parts of the province will have opportunities to take part in sporting and creative activities as a result of $735,000 in funding for accessibility programming.
Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes says the B.C. government, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and ViaSport have entered into a $335,000 Northern Sport Accessibility partnership to develop a new program delivery model. The provincial share is $290,000.
Representatives of multiple sectors will develop a plan, to be implemented over three years by a sport accessibility coordinator housed at Pacific Sport Northern BC, to connect people with programs. The position will be supported by an equipment grant program and technical resources.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee will kick in $45,000 to support long-term athlete development, from active start through learn-to-play stages. The CPC will also provide in-kind contributions to train teachers and coaches in the Fundamental Movement Skills curriculum.
The BC government will also spend up to $400,000 a year to expand the After School Sport and Arts Initiative (ASSAI), providing after school sport and arts programming for children with a disability. The funding will be available to ASSAI communities to support transportation, additional staff, specialized equipment and staff training that will meet the specific needs of these children
Comments
How about allocating some money to the hospitals and education, instead of more money into silly programs like this?
Pg101, Since when was helping disabled children and adults play sports, perform arts and provide after school programs that would help any child with social skills and development a “silly program”??? Without this funding many citizens of our city would miss out on simple pleasures such as playing sports with friends.
Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2015 @ 5:48 PM by PG101
How about allocating some money to the hospitals and education, instead of more money into silly programs like this?
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A couple of thoughts for consideration:
This IS education – physical education, for the disabled
and this IS physical health care, again, for the disabled
Unless you have have some scientific basis for suggesting that the disabled will function better and be healthier as couch potatoes, I suggest your comment is rather ‘silly.’
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anotherside…
Are you kidding me?
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A couple of thoughts for consideration:
This IS education – physical education, for the disabled
and this IS physical health care, again, for the disabled
Unless you have have some scientific basis for suggesting that the disabled will function better and be healthier as couch potatoes, I suggest your comment is rather ‘silly.’
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This is indeed a silly program. I speak as a single father of not one but two special needs disabled children. I own that and I do my best without asking for anything to see my children are not “couch potatoes”. When the hell did it happen that someone else was responsible for my children? I don’t remember when but I’ll tell you right now if I can man up so can everyone else. I am actually offended that the parents of a special needs child will ride the gravy train and do as little as they can all the while doing as much as they can to apply for funding for someone else to do what they should be doing themselves.
billyinpg …. I agree and respect many of your points, especially the comments about the gravy drippers … my challenge to you is to go through the article and point out the areas that the average responsible parent can perform … development of curriculum along with the training of teachers and coaches definitely falls outside most parents abilities. Regarding the other services, that is what Pacific Sport does for the community as a whole.
While this funding announcement is indeed good news for sports programs targeting our disabled youth and children in BC by offering $400,000 a year to expand the After School Sport and Arts Initiative. I questions the timing of this announcement, just when athletes from all over Canada, and the attention of the nation, are on BC and Prince George. I also have to question this government’s commitment to support sports and physical education for our youth and children.
In 2010 this government totally eliminated funding for the BC School Sports Program, and when parents complained, then Education Minister Margaret Macdiarmid said; “ young athletes can cope by: “Doing more walking or dancing or playing in parks.” And B.C. School Sports executive director Sue Keenan said: “We never in our wildest dreams ever imagined this province would cut us totally.” ~ The Tyee
Mixed messages and conflicting and contradictory actions seems to be the order of the day for this government.
It’s best to stay in shape in Bc, with the rising personal fees, long waiting lists, costs etc for medical you can’t afford to be sick.
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