This year, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport will be spending another $1 billion, approved by the Committee of Supply today, to continue enhancing 251 community grounds across the country.
Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., told the Committee of Supply on Friday afternoon that he hopes his ministry will surpass the 251 community grounds target.
The ministry’s overall $8.8 billion budget for this year was also approved. Of that sum, $2.6 billion will be used for culture, $1.1 billion for youth and $4.6 billion for sport. Notably, $429 million was approved for policy development and administration.
Minister Ramson explained that last year, the sum of $1.2 billion was allocated to upgrade 251 community grounds, and this year, his ministry will continue that project.
Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones, requested the names of the grounds of the ones completed in 2023 and the ones that will be upgraded this year. The minister responded, “Because we are doing them in phases, on exactly the same grounds that would have received the support last year, they will receive the support this year to do the additional projects that are required.”
The minister promised to submit a list of the names of the grounds since he does not have that information on hand.
Moreover, Ramson explained that every ground has different needs in terms of the upgrade work that has to be done. “You know as well as I do, community grounds need that level of support, they need it. In fact, you can easily spend on a community ground in excess of $30 to $50 million dollars,” he said.
Minister Ramson noted that while the sum varies, he pointed out that there are some grounds that would not require much work. As such, he said that is why he suspects that his ministry will be able to surpass the 251 target.
The minister added that because of the demand from all of the communities last year, his ministry focused on upgrading the ground itself and the fence. Minister Ramson said that this year, the allocation will be used to construct pavilions and washrooms for the grounds that are completed. He added that in 2025, his ministry will continue the project but will focus on outfitting the grounds with items like lights.
Moreover, the minister disclosed that from the 2023 allocation, $1 million each was allocated to 100 Indigenous hinterland communities for them to upgrade their grounds. He continued, “We are going to continue to do that, this year and every year moving forward.”
Minister Ramson noted that the funds will be used to develop the grounds in alignment with his ministry’s sports policy, which will be published this year.
