Mayor Asked About Potential Of Re-Starting Shelved Youth Program

The relaxing of the COVID - 19 pandemic measures when it comes to using school gymnasiums for pickleball will have the City at least looking at re-starting a free Friday evening recreation program for youth that operated out of Prince Arthur School.

The program, shelved when the COVID - 19 pandemic meant school gymnasiums were closed to outside groups, was designed to not only give youth a weekend neighbourhood activity but was a spin-off of a program to help keep youth away from drugs.

The program was open to youth from 13 - 17 years of age and received funding through Saskatchewan Lotteries Community Grants Program (SLCGP). The program ran from 6 pm to 10:30 pm on Friday evenings with the majority of participants walking to participate.

A program which started as free Friday night swims designed as an anti-drug measure.

“I think a lot of the schools are being used for pickleball and community exercise programs, recreation programs. Certainly the City is interested anytime we can partner with the schools to make use of those facilities to keep people busy doing some healthy activity as opposed to unhealthy activity,” Mayor Clive Tolley said when asked by MJ Independent about the program in the post Council media scrum.

During a presentation to Council requesting the 2022 Budget look at building of six pickleball courts mention was made the Parks and Recreation Department has been facilitating using school gymnasiums to play pickleball in now that the pandemic measures restricting outside use have been relaxed.

Asked if he would support looking at re-starting the program Mayor Tolley said he would with the help of volunteers.

“I would. I would ask Administration have a look at that. Again it is likely about staffing and costing but hopefully we could get some community volunteers to be the chaperones for those kinds of activities,” he said.