City to ask province for more Green Shack funding

Calling provincial cuts to STEP grants “really quite pathetic,” city councillors voted Tuesday to lobby the province for ongoing replacement funding before Green Shack programs in high-needs communities are cancelled next year.

“This actually makes me very angry and the province should be wearing this at the end of the day,” Coun. Dave Loken told the city’s community services meeting. “I think it’s a travesty. It’s really quite pathetic, actually.”

“We continue to have to backfill what they cut. These families can’t afford to send these kids to camp. This is their camp. This is their holiday.”

The Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) grants cost the provincial government $7.1 million. It allowed not-for-profit organizations and municipalities to hire students to run summer programs by topping up their salaries.

In Edmonton, that subsidized Green Shack programs in 180 neighbourhoods. For years, community leagues have run the drop-in educational and recreational programs for children in city parks.

The Green Shacks were funded with $575,000 from the community leagues, $800,000 from the City of Edmonton, $200,000 from the federal government and $275,000 from the province through the STEP grants.

After the budget passed, the province agreed to provide $150,000 as a one-year measure to help Green Shack programs in high-needs communities continue this summer.

“The $150,000 saved this from being a crisis,” said Linda Cochrane, head of community services for Edmonton. But that was one-time help. “Next year, they’re in big trouble for some high-needs areas.”