By Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Community rinks often are the heartbeat of towns and villages in Saskatchewan, and applications for the 2025-26 Community Rink Affordability Grant are now open and run until February 27, 2026. Starting this year, the Government of Saskatchewan program funding has doubled to $5,000 per rink.
“For so many urban municipalities, the heart of the community is the rink,” said SUMA President Randy Goulden after the announcement was made in the fall of 2024. “The Community Rink Affordability Grant helps more than the community that houses the rink.”
This popular program, which helps offset the costs of operating indoor skating and curling rinks in Saskatchewan, is available to urban and rural municipalities, First Nations communities, Canadian Forces Bases, schools and registered non-profit groups.
An ice surface is defined as every pad used for an ice surface (not per building). Multiple curling sheets on the same pad are classified as one ice surface, but only indoor skating and curling rinks that have already installed ice this season are eligible to apply for this grant. Applications for the grant must come from the legal owner of the facility (Facility Owner). For example, if the Village owns the facility, the Municipal Office will need to complete the submission.
CRAG funds can be directed towards rink operating costs (i.e. wages, utilities, maintenance and supplies). Eligible costs must have been incurred between September 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. Receipts or other documentation of expenses must be retained and available upon request for auditing purposes.
The Government of Saskatchewan invested nearly $1.6 million in 520 facilities in 362 communities through the program when it was introduced. Since its introduction, the funding per rink has not changed from the benchmark set in 2012, so as a measure that was intended to help community rinks’ “bottom lines’, the increase will go a long way towards helping with the cost of maintenance and upkeep. Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association has been tasked with administering the program since it was introduced in 2012, until its suspension in 2016, and again when the program was revived in 2020. The SPRA is a provincial non-profit dedicated to connecting, educating and inspiring parks and recreation providers to create a Saskatchewan where all people experience a better quality of life through parks and recreation, with its core operations funded by Sask Lotteries.
“The doubling of the Community Rink Affordability Grant marks yet another commitment our government has delivered on,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Alana Ross said. “These rinks are very important to Saskatchewan communities. Whether it is sporting events or recreational activities, our local rinks are a place where people of all ages come together. Increasing this grant to $5,000 per rink provides these vital community hubs with more options and more support.”
“Doubling the Community Rink Affordability Grant funding will make a big difference,” SPRA President Darcy McLeod said. “These recreation spaces are critical to the health, well-being, and vibrancy of Saskatchewan communities, and the increased amount is a positive step toward realizing their true connection to our quality of life.”
Funding was granted to 577 indoor ice surfaces, including 378 skating surfaces and 199 curling surfaces for 2024-25.
Full guidelines along with the online grant application are available on the SPRA website.
(Rink file photo)