St. Marys council approves 2026 community grants after making minor adjustments

By Galen Simmons

St. Marys council has finalized its 2026 community-grants allocations, making several adjustments to the recommendations brought forward earlier this month and redistributing funds after removing a grant for the St. Marys Ringette Association.

Council first reviewed the 2026 Community Grants report at its Feb. 17 strategic priorities committee meeting. According to the report, the town received 20 applications this year requesting a combined $74,920.45. Of that total, $66,661.68 was deemed eligible, including $27,829 in standing grants and $38,832.68 in application-based grants.

With a total approved budget of $56,000 for 2026, the program faced a funding shortfall of $10,661.68 based on eligible requests, leading staff to recommend prorated allocations for each eligible applicant who applied for grants for this year.

At its Feb. 24 meeting, council made several changes to those staff recommendations before approving the final allocations.

“I’d like to remind everybody at this time a year ago, we did strike a committee to look at the policy and come up with some revisions, and that didn’t happen,” Coun. Jim Craigmile said. “I do believe in order to make these sorts of decisions; we have to somehow first change the policy.”

Most notably, councillors voted to remove the proposed $648 grant allocation for the St. Marys Ringette Association. During discussion, members of council pointed to the town’s community grant policy, which states applicants must be able to demonstrate financial need and how a denial of funding would impact their ability to carry out the planned program or event. Councillors indicated minor sports organizations are generally not able to demonstrate that level of financial need under the policy.

“I do believe last year we … talked briefly about the ringette association grant that is still listed (in the staff recommendations). … We talked about minor sports and getting equipment, and I’m really concerned we’re not just reopening a large can of worms. I’m all for striking that part,” Craigmile said.

“Last year, a decision was made by council that no minor sports organization was going to receive a grant because they couldn’t demonstrate financial need because all of them had fairly sufficient bank accounts,” CAO Brent Kittmer said. “So last year, that meant St. Marys Minor Basketball, St. Marys Minor Soccer, St. Marys Minor Ringette and St. Marys Minor Hockey were all denied a grant. That may have factored into why none of those organizations applied again this year.”

Council also voted to increase several grants to the full amount requested where those requests were under $1,000. Councillors discussed how prorating smaller requests can have a disproportionate impact on organizations operating with tight margins.

“I got thinking about what’s equitable and what’s fair, and I don’t think the two are the same,” Coun. Dave Lucas said. “My problem … was if we prorate everybody, which would be the equitable option (for a community grants funding shortfall), is that fair to everybody? And I was struggling with a way to put this into a policy that, again, keeps it fair amongst everybody and gives us a framework to work off as opposed to going line by line to determine which group is more important than the other, because I think that becomes a slippery slope.

“My biggest problem, for example, was the Terry Fox Foundation looking for $200. That $200 to that organization – it was in-kind, I believe, for picnic tables – really is fairly significant for their organization. The other one was the horticultural society looking for $650 to plant flowers on our property to beautify our town, and we’re going to reduce them by $200. To me … if somebody’s asking for a smaller amount, and I’m going to say under $1,000, and we feel it fits into the parameters of our program, I think we give them the full funding. If their ask is over $1,000, that’s where maybe we come in and prorate it because normally the organizations that come in over $1,000 are fairly significant or bigger clubs. They probably have the funds, the means, if they’re asking for a significant amount, to offset any kind of proration from the town.”

As a result, the Terry Fox Foundation will receive the full $200 in-kind donation for picnic tables for the annual run. The St. Marys Horticultural Society will receive its full $652 request, and Giving Tuesday St. Marys will receive its full $872.62 request.

With the removal of the ringette allocation, council redistributed the remaining funds among other eligible applicants before approving the final 2026 community-grants list.

The approved allocations are as follows:

2026 Standing Community Grants

• Canada Day Parade – $3,000

• Community Dinner – $1,500

• St. Michael CSS – $750

• St. Marys DCVI – $1,500

• Station Gallery – $10,000

• United Way Perth-Huron – $11,079

2026 Application-Based Community Grants

• Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame – $2,000

• Giving Tuesday St. Marys – $872.62

• GOALS – $2,544

• Kaswentha Two Row Now – $1,015

• Kinsmen Club of St. Marys – $3,658

• Rotary Club of St. Marys – $1,994

• Royal Canadian Legion Perth Regiment – $1,463

• St. Marys Farmers’ Market – $1,463

• St. Marys Horticultural Society – $652

• St. Marys Imagination Library – $2,561

• St. Marys Lincolns Junior Hockey Club – $3,658

• Stonetown Quilters’ Guild & Huron Perth Quilters’ Guild – $3,658

• Teddy Bear Reunion – $1,097

• Terry Fox Foundation – $200

• To St. Marys With Love – $1,336

The 2026 Community Grants program supports eligible organizations delivering activities, projects and programs that align with council’s priorities in culture and recreation, balanced growth and economic development, and housing.