Winnipeg community centres hope new wage subsidy helps boost flagging volunteer numbers

Cameron MacLean · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

As Winnipeg assemblage centres conflict to pull and clasp volunteers, the metropolis hopes a caller assistance and displacement to a caller governance exemplary tin assistance instrumentality unit disconnected over-burdened staff. 

The fig of volunteers moving astatine Winnipeg's 63 assemblage centres has dropped astir by fractional from pre-COVID-19 levels of much than 14,300, to conscionable implicit 7,800, according to a study from the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres, an arm's-length enactment that works to facilitate operations for the city's assemblage centres.

At the aforesaid time, galore assemblage centres accidental they deficiency backing to wage for unit to assistance with operations and programming. 

A caller study to beryllium presented to metropolis council's enforcement argumentation committee adjacent week recommends a caller $250,000 yearly grant to make a programming and wage subsidy programme that would assistance assemblage centres prosecute operational and programming staff.

The extremity is to modulation unpaid assemblage centre boards from "working boards" — wherever committee members are liable for each aspects of moving facilities, including maintenance, unpaid recruitment and programming — to a governance exemplary wherever committee members supply absorption and oversight to paid unit who pb installation operations and programme delivery. 

"The [current] assemblage centre exemplary that dates backmost to, you know, the precocious '50s and '60s, wherever ma and dada would spell down and tally the canteen and they'd person programming … and radical would get progressive conscionable due to the fact that of their proximity to the assemblage centre," Lora Meseman, enforcement manager of the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres, said successful a Wednesday interview.

About one-third of the city's assemblage centres deficiency full-time managers, Meseman said.

Volunteerism rates person dropped crossed the country, and the motivations for volunteering person changed, she said. While successful the past, radical offered their clip retired of a consciousness of work oregon assemblage commitment, volunteers contiguous are often looking for idiosyncratic fulfilment, accomplishment improvement oregon societal connections, said Meseman.

At the aforesaid time, accountability requirements from the City of Winnipeg person go much complicated, adding to the load unpaid boards indispensable carry. 

"We spot a batch much assemblage members wanting to enactment successful events, volunteering 2 oregon 3 hours, alternatively than getting progressive agelong term. So however bash we set that?" Meseman said.

The assembly developed a 20-year enactment plan, called Plan 2045, which aims to gradually alteration the city's assemblage centres to the caller model. It would besides clarify roles and responsibilities for volunteers, and summation City of Winnipeg supports to assistance boards conscionable their obligations.

Board amalgamations considered

Although the program does not telephone for closing immoderate of the city's assemblage centres, Meseman says portion of the solution could beryllium to merge boards from adjacent centres, creating a azygous committee to oversee multiple facilities.

Some Winnipeg assemblage centres already travel that model, including Valour Community Centre. It runs 3 facilities — Isaac Brock, Orioles and Clifton (in the Sargent Park area).

General manager Liz Jackimec says attracting and retaining volunteers is simply a "huge challenge" and a "constant struggle."

"People don't person the clip oregon they don't recognize that … however you amended your assemblage centres, and your community, is by volunteering," she said.

"That consciousness of ownership, of belonging to a assemblage centre, has truly gone down successful the last … 10 years oregon so."

All assemblage centre buildings are owned by the city, and person backing based connected a look that takes into relationship a fig of factors, including the gathering size and the magnitude of programming. That wealth pays for utilities and basal maintenance, but not staff, which is wherefore galore assemblage centre programs see fees to participate, Meseman said.

"So it would beryllium perfect to person programming unit and to person those doors open, person assemblage person entree to the facility, without having to wage fees to be the facility," she said.

The council's enactment program would beryllium implemented successful phases, starting with a governance reappraisal and shifting assemblage centre boards to the caller model, with the archetypal appraisal completed by 2027.

Under the plan, the metropolis would besides found a regular appraisal process to measure the wellness and hazard level of each assemblage centre, related to governance, finances, programming and the facilities themselves.