City grant money will go toward new sports bank, other projects
By Lethbridge Herald on June 5, 2025.
Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald
The City of Lethbridge announced on Wednesday it is investing more than $1.2 million toward community projects aimed at creating more inclusive, accessible and welcoming spaces.
The money comes from the Make Your Mark and Community Capital Project Grant programming funding.
Andrew Malcolm, general manager of Community Social Development, made the announcement at City Hall accompanied by Susan Eymann, executive director of the Lethbridge Sport Council, which is one of the grant recipients.
Of the applicants, 26 projects were approved, said Malcolm.
Make Your Mark caters to small and mid-sized grants while the Community Project Capital Project Grant supports larger projects and requires matching funds. Make Your Mark is a one-time grant made possible from unused funding from the CCPG, which was under-subscribed because of the economic challenges during and after the COVID-19 pandemic which led to about $600,000 of funds being unspent.
Last December, council created the Make Your Mark program to use that unspent money.
“We’ve got a really diverse amount of projects that are receiving this funding,” said Malcolm. “It was a very competitive intake for both programs.”
Make Your Mark alone had 57 applications and 20 were approved.
Among recipients was Lethbridge Sport Council, which is getting $25,000 for sanitization equipment and storage space for a sports equipment bank that will redistribute used sports gear for use by youth who can’t afford new equipment.
The sanitation system to be employed uses ozone technology to disinfect gear without harsh chemical or water.
The grant money is a key piece of the creation of that used equipment distribution centre the council wants to establish here.
“We’re thrilled to be a recipient of this,” said Eymann, recalling how several years ago the council started to connect with the Calgary Flames Sport Bank which services all of southern Alberta. In January, the council started looking at opening a distribution centre here.
A committee was created to see how such a centre would look here. A potential location is being considered but before it opens, the sanitization equipment needs to be acquired so gear can be cleaned before being redistributed.
In 2024, between 2,000 and 3,000 people received registration subsidies for sport and recreation including from the City of Lethbridge fee assistance program, KidSport and JumpStart and of those numbers, 63 people received used equipment from the Calgary Flames Sport Bank.
Successful Make Your Mark projects include:
• A creative hub for the BIPOC Foundation;
• Accessibility upgrades at Hungarian Canadian Old Timers’ Society;
• Communication boards at playgrounds for the Lethbridge School Division; and
• A new shuttle bus for Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre.
Other recipients included the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge, Aboriginal Housing Society, Headwinds Cycling Club and the LA Swim Club.
The six projects awarded more than $600,000 in CCPG funds include:
• A multi-sport dome at the University of Lethbridge
• A new playground at West Coulee Station; and
• A new welding facility at Winston Churchill High School.
Other recipients include Henderson Lake Golf Club, Lethbridge Judo Club and MyCityCare.
“So you can see there’s a real gap there,” said Eymann.
Successful Make Your Mark projects include:
A creative hub for the BIPOC Foundation;
* Accessibility upgrades at Hungarian Canadian Old Timers’ Society;
* Communication boards at playgrounds for the Lethbridge School Division; and
* A new shuttle bus for Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre.
Other recipients included the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge, Aboriginal Housing Society, Headwinds Cycling Club and the LA Swim Club. A full list of the recipients can be found at https://www.lethbridge.ca/community-services-supports/grants-and-support/make-your-mark/
The six projects awarded more than $600,000 in CCPG funds include:
* A multi-sport dome at the University of Lethbridge
* A new playground at West Coulee Station; and
* A new welding facility at Winston Churchill High School.
Other recipients include Henderson Lake Golf Club, Lethbridge Judo Club and MyCityCare.
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Use the 1.3 $Million as a downpayment on a new bridge. Makes much more sense than all of the aforementioned expenditures. Add to that the 43$M spent on bike trails, and ask for assistance from the province.