42 Vancouver Island sports organizations receive B.C. funding

Victoria -

Dozens of local sports organizations on Vancouver Island are receiving provincial grants to help reopen as the COVID-19 pandemic dwindles down.

In total, 42 Vancouver Island organizations are set to receiving funding, ranging from the Duncan Junior Baseball Association to the Comox Valley Wheelchair Sports Society in Courtenay.

Other groups receiving funding include the Nanaimo Judo Club, Vancouver Island Ladies Field Hockey Club, the Victoria West Lawn Bowling Club and the Port Alberni Gymnasium Association.

Each group can apply for a grant of up to $7,500, the province announced Friday. The funding can be used for costs such as rent, insurance, storage costs, equipment costs and administrative fees.

"We know how difficult it has been for local sport organizations during the pandemic," said Grace Lore, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill in a statement Friday.

"These grants are exactly the type of support they need to offset the absence of registration fees, event revenues and sponsorships and to help meet costs in the return to sport," she said.

A full list of Vancouver Island recipients can be found here.

The province estimates that roughly $1 million in funding will go towards 214 local sports organizations across B.C. this month, including the 42 on Vancouver Island.