$600,000 available for community projects in 2024

Sophie Kuijper Dickson, LJI Reporter

The MRC Pontiac is once again accepting applications from municipalities and non-profit organizations wishing to receive provincial funding, distributed by the MRC, for community projects they hope to develop in 2024.
This year the MRC has $600,000 from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s Region and Rurality fund (FRR 2) to give to economic development projects in the region, making this round of funding the largest in the past four.
The funding announcement came on Tuesday afternoon at the Brauwerk Hoffman brewery in Campbell’s Bay, where mayors and representatives from community groups had gathered to celebrate the 23 projects that received funding in 2023.
“It’s the provincial government that gave us the ability to do these FRR grants, and with $600,000 for 2024, I can’t wait to see what projects we’re going to receive,” Pontiac warden Jane Toller said to the small crowd.
Sabrina Ayres is the socio-economic development coordinator for the MRC, responsible for coordinating the funds and grants the MRC’s economic development team is responsible for managing.
She explained it is the Council of Mayors that decides on the MRC’s priorities when it comes to how it distributes this funding.
“In the past we have changed priorities annually, but over the last few years they’ve been the same six priorities,” Ayres explained.
The application guidelines list these priority areas are tourism, culture and heritage, economic growth, agriculture, socio-community, environment, and forestry.
A separate independent committee, made up of Karim El Kerch (CJEP – OBNL representative), Nikki Buechler (citizen representative), Stéphane Labine (regional organization representative), as well as Mayors Christine Francoeur and Doris Ranger, then reviews the applications and makes recommendations to the Council of Mayors on which projects should be funded.
Mayors make the final decision through resolution at their meeting in September.
All applications are due to the MRC by July 11.
The 2023 FRR2 funding went towards buying new audio-visual equipment for the Pontiac Archives, supporting the Bryson RA’s day camp, funding construction the new market building in Chapeau, and buying solar street lamps for Shawville’s Main Street, to name but a handful of the nearly two dozen projects supported by the grant.
Last year another $2 million from stream 4 of the Regions and Rurality fund (FRR 4) was given out to a different batch of community projects.
Ayers explained the 2023 round of funding from this FRR 4 stream was the last for the foreseeable future.