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For The Record

GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS SPORT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Sept. 11, 2009
Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport
Ministry of Education
 

Media have been reporting on the provincial government’s decisions regarding funding for sport in B.C.  Here are the facts:

  • As result of the global economic crisis and the province’s fiscal situation, the government has had to make some tough choices in order to protect funding for education and health care.
  • However, the government continues to support youth sport in BC with nearly $40 million in new funding for sport this year and nearly $30 million in multi-year funding (This is on top of sports programs funded by school districts).
  • In addition, government has invested more than $600 million in sport infrastructure in recent years.
  • Funding to support sport in B.C. in 2009-10 includes:
    • $11 million to sport organizations around the province to support participation and high-performance athletics. These funds flow to 2010 Legacies Now, Sport BC, the Canadian Sport Centre Pacific, the BC Games Society and more than 50 Provincial Sport Organizations, which represent 700,000 British Columbians.
    • $8 million of additional funding from 2010 Legacies Now to support participation and high-performance sport through BC Integrated Performance System.
    • $19 million to support more than 800 sports organizations from gaming (Direct Access and bingo funding).
  • Government has also provided nearly $30 million in multi-year funding that continues to support organizations funding youth sport in BC such as:
    • KidSport BC has received more than $800,000 over the last three years from the government and SportsFunder and will continue to help families defray the costs of registering their children in sport.
    • SportsFunder has flowed more than $3 million to other programs such as team development for the Canada Games, youth sport travel and coach training.
    • The province has provided $10 million to the national Own the Podium (winter) and Road to Excellence (summer) programs that continue to benefit high-performance athletes, many of whom live or train in British Columbia.
    • Government has provided $14.5 million over five years for Action Schools! BC, which continues to deliver school-based programs focused on integrating physical activity and healthy eating messages into the classroom.
    • BC Sport Participation Program (BCSPP) has received more than $1 million in provincial funding and continues to offer free or subsidized sport programs within school or community settings.
  • This is on top of school-based sports and physical activity programming which the government continues to support by increasing funds for school districts by more than $80 million this year.
  • As a result, schools will continue to deliver a full spectrum of sports and fitness programming including:
    • Mandatory daily physical activity for all grades. 
    • Mandatory physical education for Grades K-10 and elective physical education for Grades 11 and 12.
    • In-school programs bring trained coaches/ instructors into the school to teach fundamental sport skills to children and youth and provide resources and training for teachers.  
    • Walking School Bus, Bicycle Train, nutrition and exercise programs continue to be offered at schools across BC.
  • In addition, the province has invested significant funding in sport infrastructure in BC – more than $600 million – during the last five years. This funding has provided for the Olympic venues, the Paralympics Training & Development Centre in Kimberley, the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre in Prince George and the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence in Victoria, as well as more than 70 other sport and recreation facilities across the province.
  • While we are clearly facing challenging economic times, the government is committed to continuing to support youth sport programming in B.C.