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The Government of Yukon has begun distributing $1,687,000 in federal relief funds to support local not-for-profit sport and recreation organizations affected by COVID-19.

This funding is part of the $500 million in COVID relief funding that the federal government announced last May for cultural heritage and sports organizations nation-wide.

The territorial sport and recreation branch is administering the funds directly to eligible sport and recreation organizations.

鈥淲e are excited; this will make a big difference,鈥� said branch director Jaret Slipp.

鈥淲e have been working with clients and helping them with available relief funds and that can be complicated.

鈥淲e are excited to give organizations money that doesn鈥檛 have many strings attached. The federal government wanted it to go out and not be held back, not be complicated,鈥� Slipp said.

These Yukon organizations can use the funds to cover COVID-19 related expenses they may have previously incurred because of closures or may experience in the future, as they adapt and operate under new guidelines.

Slipp said before the pandemic, organizations relied on fundraisers or membership fees as a source of revenue. The funds can be used, for example, to hire extra staff, buy materials or equipment required to mitigate COVID or plan for future COVID impacts.

鈥淔undamentally the goal is to provide something to help keep organizations alive,鈥� said Slipp. 鈥淥nce the pandemic is over, they can spring back to life. We don鈥檛 want organizations to fold.鈥�

Slipp said the branch worked with other jurisdictions to find a way to distribute the funding.

鈥淲e took a percentage of their operating revenue to use as a proxy, for big they are,鈥� said Slipp. 鈥淭hey are varied by size and that鈥檚 how we allocated the cash. There are so many ways to cut this we picked something relative.

鈥淲e recognize for some this won鈥檛 be enough. We are still encouraging organizations to apply to other funding.鈥�

Community Services Minister John Streicker said in a release that sport and recreation are pivotal to the lives of Yukoners.

鈥淥ur recreation and sport organizations play such a vital role in our lives as Yukoners,鈥� said Streicker. 鈥淭hey help keep us physically active and mentally healthy. They provide training and skill development. They give us opportunities to connect with each other.

鈥淪port and recreation groups, like many other organizations in our territory, have been affected by COVID-19. Thanks to the federal government, we鈥檙e hopeful these relief funds will support sport organizations as we all adapt to the ongoing impacts of the pandemic,鈥� Streicker added.

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell said staying active is important given the times.

鈥淩ecreation is important, as it helps build inclusive communities, where families and friends can have fun and spend time together,鈥� said Bagnell.

鈥淚n times like these, where isolation is part of our day-to-day lives, it is especially important that we stay active and healthy for our overall physical and mental health. These funds will help keep us connected, as we navigate our 鈥榥ew normal.鈥欌��

To ensure eligible organizations receive the funding quickly, Slipp said, the branch will be distributing $1,259,660 or about 75 per cent of the funds to its existing clients.

鈥淥ur clients have been given notice and cheques have been written,鈥� said Slipp.

The other 25 per cent of the funding will be held for sport and recreation groups that are not clients of the branch but have sport and recreation as a primary mandate. They can contact Sport Yukon on how to potentially access funding.

鈥淲e know there are some organizations out there that aren鈥檛 clients, and maybe there are some we haven鈥檛 heard about,鈥� said Slipp. 鈥淲e want them to be included.鈥�

The remaining 25 per cent, about $427,331, will be distributed in the fall.