“The McGuinty government recognizes the numerous benefits that arts, culture and recreational programs bring to our communities,” said Minister Carroll. “These Ontario Trillium Foundation grants will have a powerful impact on local economies and improve the quality of life for Ontario families."

Grants will enable groups to create more social, cultural and recreational activities, remove barriers to full participation and promote healthy living. The Foundation, through the Eastern Ontario Grant Review Team and its Chair, Gérald G. Samson, believes this is the way to build healthy and vibrant communities.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario. Ontario's 2008 spring budget boosted the Foundation's annual funding to $110 million from $105 million, which will be further increased to $120 million by 2009-2010.

The Community grants listed below were ratified on June 26, 2008.

1st Richmond Scout Group c/o Scouts Canada
$8,600 over six months to purchase a cargo trailer that will provide adequate storage and transportation of scouting equipment, including canoes and camping gear.

Acadiens & Franco-Ontariens en Famille c/o Groupe action pour enfant, la famille et la communauté de Prescott-Russell
$21,500 over one year for artists, equipment rental and publicity to attract visitors to celebrate culture at the Acadian and Franco-Ontarian family festival in Rockland during the 400th anniversary of the Francophone presence in North America.

Action et Développement Jeunesse
$17,600 over seven months for staff and board-member training. The organization will develop a three-year strategic plan and implement communication and volunteer recruitment strategies to improve youth engagement and mentorship programs in Ottawa.

Akwesasne Economic Development Agency
$100,000 over two years for language and artistic skills to expand the multimedia Mohawk language initiative in Akwesasne. The organization will then have the capacity to provide the language initiative to other First Nations in Ontario.

Artswell
$60,000 over two years for marketing and volunteer-and-administrative co-ordinators. The additions will increase this Ottawa-based organization’s capacity to offer specialized arts classes and workshops to patients in various health-care situations.
 
Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario, Conseil régional de Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
$37,200 over one year for staff and promotion and administrative costs to develop a French-language services database. The product will engage the Francophone community and increase the quantity and quality of French-language public services.

Boys and Girls Club of Cornwall/SDG
$59,200 over one year to increase the organization’s capacity to expand programs and services to youth in the Cornwall area by hiring an executive director.

Canadian Organic Growers, Ottawa Chapter c/o Canadian Organic Growers
$120,000 over three years to expand Growing Up Organic, a program that engages children in organic gardening and environmental education. It also helps build the capacity of the local food sector by training farmers and creating marketing channels.

Capital Chordettes
$14,900 over one year to purchase MP3 voice recorders and costumes. These additions will help increase this women chorus’s repertoire and broaden its audience base in the Ottawa region.

Celebration of People c/o Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa
$59,500 over 18 months for staff to help raise public awareness of the achievements of people with disabilities who received a Celebration of People Award. Public perception will be changed and greater accessibility in community life promoted.

Centre des services communautaires Vanier
$50,000 over one year to implement the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program (HIPPY) in Eastern Ottawa. Home educators will teach parents how to develop school readiness skills and support academic achievement.

Chalk River and Area Lions Club
$43,800 to install an energy-efficient HVAC heating and air conditioning system in this well-used community facility. Automatic door openers will also be installed to improve access to the building for all the community members who use it.

Club Bourg Joie d'Or de Bourget c/o Fédération des aînés et des retraités francophones de l'Ontario
$13,200 over one year to renovate the club's facility. New flooring, kitchen cabinets and counters will be installed and furniture purchased to help improve overall safety and ease of use by seniors within the Francophone community.

Club de gymnastique les Sittelles
$13,500 over six months to purchase additional safety equipment. These additions will increase safety and the quality of training for amateur gymnasts of all ages in the Francophone community in Ottawa and surrounding area.

Club joie de vivre 50+
$47,400 over one year to make this community space in Embrum fully accessible and safer for people with limited mobility. An exterior ramp and an indoor accessibility lift will be installed and washrooms will be renovated.

Communauté Congolaise du Canada/Ottawa-Gatineau
$20,600 over one year to recruit volunteers who will organize workshops and recreational activities for Congolese seniors in the Ottawa area.
 
Coopérative multiservices francophones de l'Ouest d'Ottawa
$100,000 over two years for an executive director who will develop and launch a new multi-service centre for Francophone residents in western Ottawa Centre. The centre will deliver social, recreational, health, education and cultural programs.

Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum
$75,000 over one year to help renovate this important historical site and bring it to acceptable City of Ottawa fire standards.

Ecology Ottawa
$100,000 over two years to increase awareness and participation in local environmental issues. Educational materials will be produced and distributed, a website maintained and the Green Workplace and Building Initiative developed.

Entraide budgétaire Ottawa
$104,300 over two years for a project manager, promotions and supplies to launch a new social enterprise venture. Credit counseling services will be extended to paying customers and revenue will be reinvested in programs for low-income families.

Erin Society of Ottawa
$75,000 over one year to make the public washrooms of the Ottawa Irish Cultural Centre fully accessible to people of all abilities. The upgrades will enable greater use of the facility for social, cultural and recreational purposes.

Gloucester South Raiders Minor Football Club
$42,000 over one year to purchase safety equipment and increase training opportunities for volunteer coaches and trainers. Also, additional equipment and uniforms will be purchased to expand the club's activities for youth aged 17 to 19 years.

Groupe de danse traditionnelle Burundaise Abezamutima
$15,000 over one year to provide instruction in the traditional dance and drumming styles of the Burundian culture to young people in the Ottawa area.

Jewish Family Services
$38,000 over two years for a marketing consultant, materials and website. These will help promote the organization's counselling program as a culturally-diverse, non-denominational centre of excellence that is accessible to all community members.

Just Food c/o Social Planning Council of Ottawa
$62,500 over one year for staff, website development and translation services. A city farm will be created that offers education programs for children and workshops for youth and adults on food production.

Lancaster & District Curling Club
$40,000 over nine months to replace critical components of the 46-year-old ice-making equipment. These repairs will improve the energy efficiency of the building and ensure the continuity of curling programs at this well-used curling facility.

LASI World Skills
$139,800 over two years to strengthen the group's management capacity. A new senior manager will be hired to oversee outreach activities and ensure better integration of employment programs for new immigrant workers in the Ottawa area.
 
Leadership Ottawa
$46,000 over two years for staff and equipment to offer leadership training in Ottawa’s not-for-profit sector. The new workshop series and mentoring program will enable more learning opportunities to be extended to a broader group of participants.

Leading Note Foundation
$25,000 over one year for teachers’ fees, instruments and overhead costs. These additions will increase the capacity of the organization to provide free music lessons to low-income children in the Ottawa region.

Maison familiale rurale franco-ontarienne
$90,000 over two years for a project co-ordinator and expenses to help establish the Maison familiale rurale franco-ontarienne in Alfred. This not-for-profit co-operative will help 20 youth to develop careers in the agricultural sector.

Nation Municipality
$15,000 over one year to help purchase and install new playground equipment at the municipal park in Ste-Rose. The upgrades will offer safer outdoor activities to children aged 5 to 12 years.

Nepean Corona School of Gymnastics
$40,500 over one year to replace gymnastics equipment. The new additions will enable the club to meet current safety standards in its extensive recreational, competitive and special-needs programs for children and youth aged 1 to 17 years.

Nepean Minor Hockey Association
$19,000 over one year to provide coaches with better training tools, clinics and media. Goaltender equipment will be replaced and a computer upgraded to help the association continue providing hockey as recreation for over 2,800 children.

Odawa Native Friendship Centre
$14,000 over six months to upgrade the entrance and structure of the local centre. A safer environment will then be available for the Capital Region’s Aboriginal community to participate in a variety of cultural, recreational and social programs.

Oneness-World Communications
$85,000 over three years for staff, workshop fees and computer equipment to maintain and grow the Step Into Stories children's literacy program in Ottawa. The organization's youth outreach and on-line content will also be enhanced.

Quigley Highlanders Pipes and Drums
$42,600 over one year to purchase band equipment and uniforms. These additions will increase the organization's capacity to recruit new members in the North Glengarry area, particularly children, youth and seniors.

Renfrew Agricultural Society
$15,000 over one year to repair the exterior brick wall of the organization’s main building. The upgrade will increase safe access to the building and enhance the overall appearance of this well-used community facility.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 632 - Orleans
$40,000 over six months to complete the replacement of the HVAC system for this important community facility in Orleans.
 
Skate Cornwall
$4,300 over one year to improve safety and training effectiveness for figure skaters. An on-ice jump harness will be purchased and installed in the Cornwall Civic Complex, to help retain members and enhance their skills.

Société franco-ontarienne d'histoire et de généalogie, Régionale St-Laurent
$45,700 over one year to develop an electronic catalogue of the Cornwall organization's inventory and collections. Clients will then have easier access to information and volunteers will be trained to regularly update the electronic collection.

Soma Selepak Culture Association of Ottawa
$15,000 over one year for electrical work, drywall, flooring and paint. Upgrades will improve the safety and use of the rehearsal and performance space for this group that provides cultural and sports programming to the Cambodian community.

St. Lawrence Rowing Club
$33,000 over one year to increase access to rowing programs for the Morrisburg community by improving docking facilities and purchasing rowing equipment.

SuzukiMusic
$14,000 over six months to purchase instruments for a viola program for this important school in Ottawa. The program provides music instruction to 320 children aged 3 to 18 years, including students with special needs.

Valley Employee and Family Assistance Program
$25,000 over six months to purchase office equipment and furniture. The additions will help the group function more efficiently and increase its capacity to deliver educational workshops in the Renfrew County community.

Valley Heritage Radio
$35,000 over one year for electrical work, air conditioning and computer upgrades. These improvements will enhance the safety and health of the facility used by this community-based radio station serving Renfrew County.

Victim Assistance Services of Ottawa-Carleton
$113,600 over two years for a co-ordinator and expenses to maintain and expand the Court Accompaniment Service. Trained volunteers will be able to provide more assistance and emotional support during the court process for women victims of violence.

Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
$140,600 over two years to provide culturally based arts and physical activities that promote healthy lifestyles among Aboriginal children aged 7 to 12 years living in Ottawa.

Wetland Education and Workshops c/o Ducks Unlimited Canada
$77,200 over two years to provide quality in-class wetland resources and field trips to 55 Grade 4 classes each year in Ottawa through Project Webfoot. Teachers will also have opportunities to participate in wetland workshops.

Whitewater Historical Society
$7,300 over one year to print and install information signs in five Whitewater Region towns and at the Ross Museum in Foresters Falls. The signs will help increase the museum’s visibility and profile, draw more visitors and attract new members.