St. Paul county council has turned down a request for an extra $10,000 from the St. Paul Elementary School’s parent fundraising group for playground upgrades, saying the budget is too tight. Instead, council suggested the group apply for money from the county’s Community Aggregate Levy Fund and offered to help with grant applications for provincial funding.
In November, the county had already contributed $5,000 to the project. Reeve Glen Ockerman said they recognize the playground improvements are needed, but there isn’t enough money to contribute more.
Ockerman explained that funding school playgrounds in the past was easier, noting the county gave $10,000 to École du Sommet in 2010 and $5,000 to Racette in 2011.
He blamed the current financial struggles on cuts to provincial infrastructure funding. The Municipal Sustainability Initiatives (MSI), which used to provide funds, was replaced in 2024 by the Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF). Under the new system, the county’s annual funding has dropped from an average of $2 million in 2010-2021 to around $1.3 million in 2022-present, like in other municipalities.
With the cost of community projects rising, Ockerman said finding new funding sources is important. “Is there a need there for the playground? Absolutely. Do they deserve it? Absolutely, but how are we going to get there?” he said. Ockerman also pointed out the challenge of deciding where to spend limited funds, asking if this money should come at the expense of other programs.
Even though the request was denied, the county is still committed to helping the school’s parent group find other ways to get funding.
