East Gwillimbury launches low-income subsidy for town programs

Registration for spring, summer recreation programs is open. Qualified residents can apply for subsidy.

YorkRegion.com
March 6, 2019
Amanda Persico

East Gwillimbury has launched its own recreation subsidy pilot program for low-income residents.

The FAIR EG program -- which stands for fair, accessible, inclusive recreation -- launched in conjunction with the town’s spring and summer recreation registration programs.

The program offers a sliding scale discount based on income, offering families the chance to participate in recreation programs.

“The FAIR EG program was designed to help remove financial barriers and give access to residents who otherwise would not have had the chance,” said Aaron Karmazyn, the town’s community parks, recreation and culture manager.

“At the end of the day, those who don’t have the discretionary income miss out.”

The program is designed to give a proportionate discount to low-income residents, where a large chunk of the household salary is spent on necessities such as food and housing, leaving few leftover funds for recreation.

There is a need in the community, Karmazyn said.

Unlike third-party subsidy programs, such as Jumpstart offered through Canadian Tire, there’s no way to ensure those funds were spent on East Gwillimbury recreation programs by East Gwillimbury residents, he added.

Not to mention, programs such as Jumpstart -- with the closest Canadian Tire locations in Newmarket, Bradford, Uxbridge and Georgina -- support a limited age range of participants.

“This is for our residents, for our programs,” he said.

According to census data, about five per cent of children under the age of 17, four per cent of adults and 2.5 per cent of seniors fall at or below low-income levels set by the federal government.

The sliding scale discount program is heavily tied to residency and income, both of which will be verified by the town.
The low-income threshold ranges from about $24,000 to $49,000 for a single person, going all the way up to about $91,000 for a family of four, with consideration for larger families.

At the low end of the low-income scale is a 50 per cent discount on recreation programs. As income levels increase, the discount decreases from 50 per cent to 10 per cent.

FAIR EG is modelled after the Create Accessible Recreation for Everyone (CARE) program in Newmarket, which launched in 2017. Similarly, the CARE program offers a sliding scale discount based on income.

Last year, there were 62 households who received assistance, representing a total subsidy of about $22,000, said Newmarket’s recreation and culture director, Colin Service.

FAIR EG is open to all residents and is applicable to any recreation program offered by the town, as well as drop-in programs offered with the Active EG Pass. The discounted recreation program, which has already garnered interest in the community, will not cause a dent in the town’s budget, said Karmazyn.

The program will not replace paid registration and the town could see a small increase in registration income, he added.

“This allows us to tap into those without the discretionary means who would not otherwise be able to participate in our programs,” Karmazyn said.

For more information and for FAIR EG applications, visit eastgwillimbury.ca.