Home »
New policy awarded with discretionary grants
By Erin Knutson
The City of Fernie awarded $8,000 in Discretionary Grants to five recipients at its first meeting of the year, held at the seniors’ centre on January 13, in which council unanimously approved a policy amendment to improve funding accessibility for the community.
“In 2025, the Discretionary Grants Committee reviewed the 2026 intake to better meet the needs of the community and community groups. The committee removed ‘two of the five years’ as the maximum funding period, allowing applicants to seek repeat funding in a five-year period. A second intake period will start this spring (March 31). This change will allow all user groups to access both the fall and spring intake periods,” said Deputy Director of Finance Sydney Mullen regarding changes to Discretionary Grant Policy CP2019-04 (DGP CP2029-04).
According to Mullen’s report, the city publicly named the 2026 recipients on January 16 and reaffirmed its commitment to provide $8,000 in support of the following groups and initiatives:
Cycling Without Age Fernie Foundation $2,000
The grant will fund free Trishaw rides for seniors and individuals with limited mobility, specifically covering annual insurance costs.
Elk River Watershed Alliance $2,000
The grant will support the development and expansion of the Elk River Watershed Alliance’s educational program for youth in Fernie.
Elk Valley Rugby Football Club $1,500
The grant will help fund the annual Rucking in the Rockies rugby festival.
Fernie Elks Lodge #81 $1,000
The grant will be used to renovate the hall’s washrooms.
Ghostrider Adventure Camp Foundation $1,500
The revised policy offers greater flexibility, according to Mullen. Applicants can now apply during two separate intakes each year. Mullen’s report also noted that eight groups requested $16,500 in the fall intake, which leaves approximately $9,000 available for the upcoming March intake.
Councillor Kyle Hamilton explained that the city deliberately allocated half of the funds to the fall intake to ensure a purse remained for the spring. “We decided to grant half in the fall intake to provide funding for spring applicants,” he said.
With the council’s unanimous approval of the grant recipients and the revised DGP CP2029-04, additional candidates can start to apply for new funding in March.
“All applicants, whether successful or not, will be notified of their grant application results by mail and email. Once approved, funding allocations will be announced and recognized through the city’s communication channels,” stated Mullen.
e-KNOW
