Thirty groups awarded inclusivity grants

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This article was published 24/08/2022 (1341 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba unveiled the first 30 grant recipients of the Manitoba Accessibility Fund at a downtown venue known for inclusion.

The $20-million endowment fund administered by the Winnipeg Foundation was established last year by the provincial government to help businesses, organizations and schools remove barriers to people and meet legislative requirements.

Families Minister Rochelle Squires said $756,000 will go to 21 non-profit organizations, three school divisions, one post-secondary institution, one municipality and four businesses, including the Good Will Social Club, where she made the announcement.

“We are at a very inclusive venue, which is possibly a champion in Manitoba for showing how we can make spaces inclusive for everybody in our community,” Squires said in front of the stage at the Portage Avenue club.

It will receive $20,000 for its Free Will project “to create more meaningful experiences and discussions around music, art, and culture,” a government background document said.

“It allows us to expand our offering as a physical venue to more of a global and online space,” said co-owner and marketing director for the business, Anthony Kowalzyk. “We’ve been able to really help charge our online presence, allowing us to hire more diverse and unique individuals to help contribute to the community as a whole.”

Squires, the minister responsible for accessibility, said Manitoba was the second province to pass accessibility legislation, in 2013, and the endowment fund supports it.

“Organizations frequently asked about funding assistance to help put in place measures, policies and processes that would help them become more compliant with the requirements of the legislation and, more importantly, to help them become more accessible,” she said.

The inaugural intake had more than 100 applications from a broad range of Manitoba groups and entities submit proposals for removing barriers, she said. Each was assessed and evaluated by a selection committee.

“The majority of the members on the selection committee were public servants who self-identified as having a disability,” Squires said. “We believe that is a very important characteristic of the committee that will continue in the years to come.”

University College of the North received $50,000.

“The timing is perfect,” said Cindee Laverge, UCN’s chief administrative officer.

She said the university, which covers an area of the north that’s the size of France, recently launched a new website in May.

“This funding provides UCN with the opportunity to work with an external agency that specializes in digital accessibility,” Laverge said at the announcement in Winnipeg.

“They’ll be able to audit our new website and provide training related to the development of accessible educational content,” she said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca