CALGARY — The Alberta government is looking at expanding funding for a program that provides $2.5 million per year to agricultural societies to repair and upgrade facilities such as arenas and rodeo grounds relied on by rural residents.
“It’s definitely a consideration,” said Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson when asked about the need for such funding due to the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Agricultural societies lost much of their revenue after being forced to close their operations due to restrictions on gathering in public places.
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Infrastructure operated by 291 societies across the province totals about $1.4 billion, Tim Carson, chief executive officer of the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies, said during an earlier interview. They own or operate more than 900 facilities ranging from community halls to ice rinks that act as the hub of the rural communities they serve, hosting more than 37,000 events per year.
The Agricultural Societies Infrastructure Revitalization Program was announced last year by Sigurdson. It is granting $2.5 million this year to 34 societies at an average of $74,000 each, he said during a news conference Jan. 12 at the Madden Community Centre northwest of Calgary.
“And it was a part of when we saw all the applications that came in this year, it’ll always be a consideration to look at what is needed to make sure that we’re protecting the infrastructure that’s so critical to every ag society across the province,” he said.
“Of course, as a minister of agriculture, I’m always going to be pushing for more funding. We understand how important our ag societies are, and what they do for our local communities and their economies.”
He described this year as a “great start, and I look forward to continuing this program in the years ahead.”
Contact doug.ferguson@producer.com
