A fresh round of provincial funding was announced last week for several local causes and projects.
Projects that received cash through the provincial Arts, Culture and Sport in Community (ACSC) fund were announced by the Manitoba government March 17. Over 400 projects received at least some level of funding through the grant.
Flin Flon-based groups received funds for four projects - two through the small projects stream and two through the special initiatives stream. Another project was announced for the Town of Snow Lake, which received hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The announcement comes days after the release of the 2023-24 provincial budget and months before a provincial election later this year.
First up comes the City of Flin Flon, who picked up $70,000 to cover expenses for renovating the Flin Flon Public Library. The library was closed to the public late last year, shutting down from early November until reopening Jan. 4 due to structural concerns with the building it is contained in. Work on the building was mostly focused on the building’s north wall, which was the location of water damage and issues where the wall met the roof.
The work on the library was estimated to cost just over $72,000 in total, with further work being anticipated later this spring. Whether that funding will be used to cover future repairs or to offset the cost of the previous fixes is unclear as of press time.
Also coming to the north is $24,680 going to the Flin Flon Bombers - that money will go toward upgrades on the Whitney Forum’s press and viewing boxes and towards fixing the arena’s sound system. The arena’s west side press box, located directly over the team benches, was enlarged and upgraded last summer, while the building’s sound system has required repairs for several years.
The Flin Flon Arts Council also received cash, going through the special initiatives stream to receive $100,000 for the ImagiNorthern Regional Creatives Development Stream. ImagiNorthern is an offshoot of the council’s Uptown Emporium project, which started as a retail location to sell goods produced by local and regional artists - the program has since expanded to cover several northern communities and provide ways to both encourage and monetize northern arts. The program received a grant of $250,000 from the Strategic Innovation Fund from the Canada Council of the Arts in 2022 and picked up another $50,000 from the provincial Manitoba Mineral Development Fund.
Through that special initiatives stream, the NorVA Centre also picked up funds for a programming enhancement plan - $24,990 in total. The centre provides arts education and supplies, as well as studio space and exhibitions, to local painters, sculptors and other artists.
The Town of Snow Lake picked up money from the fund as well, receiving $343,000 from the fund’s large capital projects stream for replacing the roof of the Gordon M. Rupp Curling Rink.
Further intakes for large capital projects, small capital projects, special initiatives and community celebrations will come later this year. Large capital project applications through the grant are due by April 24, while small capital project and special initiative applications need to be submitted by April 17. Community celebration applications need to come in by June 15.
