Men of the North founder Christopher Merasty wanted to see changes to the town's Community Grant Policy. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

municipality

No changes to Community Grant Policy in foreseeable future

Feb 21, 2024 | 1:39 PM

La Ronge council doesn’t appear to be interested in changing its Community Grant Policy.

At a regular council meeting last week, a proposal from Men of the North was brought to the table to make a number of changes in how the municipality spends the $42,000 it allots every year for community events and projects.

Specifically, Men of the North wanted to see amendments to the policy, which include an expansion to the eligibility criteria, funding allocation priorities and application process adaptation. Members of the non-profit want to see eligibility expanded to explicitly include mental health initiatives targeting men, women and children of all ages, as well as recognize the unique challenges they face and the lack of accessible and culturally sensitive support services.

“Integrating support for mental health initiatives into the Town of La Ronge’s Community Grant Policy represents a strategic alignment with the town’s vision and mission,” a document submitted to the municipality stated.

“It acknowledges the importance of mental health in achieving a vibrant, healthy community and leverages the proven success and values of Men of the North Inc. to address this critical need. The policy change is a step towards realizing our shared vision of a community where every individual has access to the support they need to thrive.”

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In addressing the request, La Ronge Mayor Joe Hordyski explained the Community Grant Program was set up to assist as many small groups as possible to put on events and other initiatives.

“I don’t know if we will be able to give an answer today, but certainly we can bring it up for discussion,” Hordyski told Men of the North founder Christopher Merasty at the meeting.

“The other thing we need to be cautious about is there are other groups who come forward, and if we give Men of the North a particular number and we get eight other groups that come, how do we say no to some of these other ones, so we have to be looking at a strategy with how we partner and how we do this kind of thing before we make that commitment.”

Coun. Abby Besharah agreed, noting Men of the North has proven its success in La Ronge, but the conversation need is probably larger than just with the municipality.

“The Community Grant Policy, this council sat and we debated on what it was trying to achieve and it’s definitely not for some of these bigger issues that might delve into the jurisdiction of provincial government and things like that,” she said.

“It’s more for the community events and initiatives that are open for everybody. I don’t disagree that mental health is a critical issue that needs to be addressed and I think your organization is paving the way, but I’m not sure if the municipality has that specific funding role in that effort.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com