The Manitoba government is investing over $25 million through the Building Sustainable Communities (BSC) program to support 428 community development projects throughout the province, Municipal Relations Minister Andrew Smith announced last week.

“Locally developed projects are, by design, tailored to address their community’s specific, unique needs and opportunities,” said Smith. “Our government is pleased to continue supporting community-based projects that foster thriving, sustainable neighbourhoods and improve residents’ quality of life.”

The St. Paul's United Church in Souris received $24,000 through the program to repair and re-shingle the church hall roof, as well as upgrades to the exterior of the building.  The building serves the entire community through facilitating a variety of events, such as the town food bank and thrift store, 4H groups, yoga classes, wedding showers and wedding receptions.

"Because of the size and the different rooms, it's very much used by the community," says Administrative Assistance for St. Paul's Church, Heather Williams. "This is a matching grant so we put up $45,000 too, and [together] it will cover everything that we need to do.  Now that we've been approved, we can now begin the work pretty soon.  We've been keeping a close eye on the roof since it was last done and we felt that it needed to be done this summer, before there is any leakage.  There's a lot of groups meet there, either weekly, or a need-only basis, so this will mean the building will continue to be serviceable to the community."

Westman Region organizations and project include the following:

  • St. Paul's United Church, Souris:  $24,000
  • Souris & Glenwood Bark Park Souris Dog Park $20,192
  • Souris & Glenwood Golf Club Inc. Golf Course Upgrades $13,650
  • Souris Valley Recreation Commission Recreational Programming Equipment $11,665
  • Elgin and District Historical Museum Inc. Museum Upgrades:  $8,527
  • Argyle Heritage Multi-Purpose Centre Baldur Heritage Centre Upgrades $10,000
  • Baldur Flower Committee Garden Shed $2,440
  • Brandon Gun Club Inc. Gun Club Improvements $27,976
  • Brandon Minor Baseball Association Ball Park Improvements $75,000
  • Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation Makerspace Expansion $57,287
  • Retriever Club Retriever Club Upgrades $4,808 Hartney
  • Brandon Seniors For Seniors Co-op Inc. Senior Centre Upgrades $75,000
  • Canada Creek Bridge Committee, Deloraine, Lake Metigoshe Park Improvements $68,337
  • Cromer Rink (Reston) Rink Upgrades $137,436
  • Crystal City Community Centre Board Arena Upgrades $145,925
  • Cypress River Agricultural Society Ag Exhibit Building Upgrades $10,752
  • Delahunt Golf and Country Club (Treherne) Facility and Equipment Upgrades $42,321 Treherne
  • Dennis County Planning District (Oak Lake) Development Plan Review $50,000
  • Dunrea Rink Committee Arena Upgrades $12,442
  • Elgin and District Historical Museum Inc. Museum Upgrades $8,527
  • Elkhorn Memorial Park Revitalization Committee Park Upgrades $200,000
  • Forrest Special Projects Group Community Park $75,000
  • Gladstone Golf and Country Club Inc. Course and Equipment Upgrades $31,218
  • Glenboro Agricultural Society Hall Upgrades $29,845
  • Glenboro Golf and Country Club Inc. Clubhouse Upgrades $37,000
  • Hartney Parent Advisory Council Park Improvements $6,898
  • Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester Deloraine Aquatic Center Replacement $300,000
  • Municipality of Grassland Hartney Community Centre Upgrades $14,511
  • Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain Development Plan $40,000
  • Municipality of Souris-Glenwood Development Plan $40,000
  • Pilot Mound Swimming Pool Louise Aquatic Centre Upgrades $300,000
  • Reston Rec Plex Facility Upgrades $131,100
  • Richer Community Club Inc. Outdoor Rink Revitalization $75,000
  • Riverdale Municipality Rivers Community Centre Upgrades $28,800
  • Rivers and Area Game and Fish Association Inc. Gun Range Upgrade - Phase 3 $13,200 
  • Southwest Community Options Inc. Ninette Cafe and Patio Enhancement $29,380
  • Southwest Recreation District Melita Outdoor Rink Upgrades $11,996
  • Southwest Snowtrackers Inc. (Deloraine) Sno Club Upgrades $53,425
  • Town of Melita Park Improvements $75,000
  • Town of Virden Victoria Park Washroom Upgrades $49,875

Budget 2023, Historic Help for Manitobans, maintains funding support to the Building Sustainable Communities Program for a total commitment of up to $25 million. This investment was doubled last year to increase support for community projects. This investment included over $12 million for 368 local and regional initiatives and nearly $13 million for 60 larger-scale capital projects.

Building Sustainable Communities Program- helps build thriving sustainable communities that provide a high quality of life for Manitobans. The grant leverages investments in community development by local governments, non-profit organizations and others. Program areas include, but are not limited to, planning activities, organizational capacity, community and regional initiatives, and capital infrastructure to build, extend, improve or enhance public use facilities and spaces.