‘Every little bit helps’
Olympians get raise in latest federal budget
Sprinter Akeem Haynes is grateful for every penny he receives in carding money from the federal government.
The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist lost that support for a time in 2015 and ended up sleeping on his training partner’s floor for months before his coach found out and bought him a bed.
Haynes currently receives $ 1,500 a month from Sport Canada through the Athletes Assistance Program to help pay for housing, groceries and utilities. Canada’s top athletes are expected to receive a raise of up to 18 per cent — or $ 270 a month — thanks to an announcement in Wednesday’s federal budget that injects $ 5 million a year into the Athletes Assistance Program for the next five years.
“Not much will change for me,” Haynes said upon hearing the news at his training base in Phoenix. “I will still live on a budget, but that will help a lot of people.”
The pay raise is a pleasant surprise, but it won’t change his life drastically.
“Things are OK,” the Calgarian said. “I share with a roommate and my roommate has a car. I’m in a much better place than in previous years.”
Haynes trains with tripleOlympic medallist Andre De Grasse, who signed an US$ 11.25- million shoe deal with Puma in 2015. Haynes also has a deal with Puma, but it’s for a small fraction of what the company is paying De Grasse, who is the exception among Canadian athletes.
Marathon runner Lanni Marchant raised money for her family to go to the Rio 2016 Olympics via crowdfunding. Sailors Danielle Boyd and Erin Rafuse auctioned off a pair of Tragically Hip tickets at the Kingston Yacht Club to help pay for their trip to Brazil. Wrestl ers Jasmine Mian and Erica Wiebe held a western- themed fundraiser at a community hall in conjunction with the Calgary Stampede.
Wiebe received a $20,000 bonus for winning gold in Rio, but she drove a 2008 Ford Focus for years that didn’t always start and she’s always l i ved with roommates.
These days, Wiebe drives a new RAV4 Hybrid and stars in Toyota commercials shown across the land.
But world titles and Olympic medals are no guarantees when it comes to support from corporate Canada. Speedskater Ivanie Blondin is the 2016 world champion in the mass start and a medal favourite for the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
“Sometimes, even with great results on the world stage, it can be hard finding sponsors,” Blondin said. “It’s a bit of a world of who you know and you have to work hard at putting your story out there and being very proactive on social media.”
The pay hike from the federal government is a welcome boost, Blondin said.
“It’s awesome,” she said. “I was a bit skeptical when I first heard there would potentially be an 18 per cent increase — which honestly isn’t very much — but every little bit helps.”
Athletes are still waiting to learn how much of the increase will go to carding money, as the Athletes Assistance Program also covers tuition and special needs assistance.
On the surface, an 18 per cent raise might sound massive to many nine- to- five workers, but the pay for Canada’s top athletes has been frozen since 2004 ( the consumer price index has jumped 24 per cent during that time period).
“An inflation adjustment of 18 per cent for the Athletes Assistance Plan is a great start, but as is always the case — there is more work to be done,” paddler Adam van Koeverden wrote on Twitter.
Carding money goes to roughly 2,000 Canadians ranked in the world’s top 16 in Olympic and Paralympic sport and those who are determined to have the potential to get there.