On September 3rd the provincial government opened the intake for the Community, Culture and Recreation Stream — Multi-Purpose funding stream under the ICIP program - a bilateral agreement between the federal and provincial governments. The federal government has allocated $ 407 M over 10 years that will be allocated across the province of Ontario for projects that are approved and meet the eligible criteria as outlined in the provincial program guidelines for this funding stream. The funding stream is a cost-shared model where applicants can request capital costs from both levels of government as per the below percentage allocations.
This stream seems ideally suited to the TCC project, as it meets with a number of the established criteria. It provides the mandatory benefits required, insofar as it improves and makes access to and increases the quality of cultural, recreational, and community infrastructure for Ontarians, including Indigenous peoples and vulnerable populations. It also addresses a demonstrable community need and service-level gap. The TCC incorporates principles of multi-purpose design and integrated service delivery, and will provide services for vulnerable communities through programming and subsidized or free memberships. It aligns with provincial priorities and promotes innovative solutions for greater accessibility.
The priorities established by the funding stream and through the survey results attained by the TCC merge seamlessly in providing a concrete means whereby community members can access a range of services. The community identified key priorities through an interactive survey to provide feedback to the TCC. These included an auditorium, a gymnasium, mental health services, women’s services, disability programming, a history and archival space/museum and a library. The priorities identified through this survey align with the gaps in access to services that continue to exist among the Tamil community. This also corresponds with the Principles of multi-purpose design and integrated service delivery for vulnerable populations, as set out by the ICIP Program.