The Ontario government is investing $1.59 million in Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities to help more than 37,000 children and youth across the province take part in sport and recreation programs, the province announced Monday.
The funding, delivered through the Inclusive Grassroots Recreation program, is part of the government’s plan to create healthier communities, expand opportunities for young people and ensure more families can access the benefits of sport and recreation.
“Our government is delivering on our plan to protect Ontario by investing in opportunities that help children and youth succeed,” said Natalie Pierre, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Sport. “Sport and recreation help young people build confidence, develop leadership skills, make lasting friendships and live healthier lives. By working with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, we’re making it easier for families to access these opportunities while building stronger communities across our province.”
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities works with community organizations across Ontario and the rest of Canada to provide equitable access to sport and recreation for children and youth who face financial, accessibility or other barriers to participation. In 2024-25, Ontario’s investment of $1.51 million through the charity’s Community Development Grants program supported 154 grants to Ontario community organizations, enabling more than 1.02 million hours of play for over 27,000 children and youth from underserved populations.
“We are grateful to the Ontario government for its continued support, which will help Jumpstart and community organizations create more opportunities for children and youth to access sport and recreation close to home,” said Marco Di Buono, President, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. “Through our Community Development Grants, we invest in local organizations that understand the needs of their communities and can deliver accessible, inclusive programming. Together, we are helping more kids across Ontario experience the lifelong benefits that come through sport and play.”
Since launching in 2021-22, the Inclusive Grassroots Recreation program has helped approximately 150,000 children and youth across Ontario take part in sport and recreation programming in their communities. The province invests more than $23 million annually to support local, inclusive physical activity programming, including Ontario’s After School Program, the Inclusive Grassroots Recreation program, the Community Aboriginal Recreation Activator program, the Sport Pathway for Ontario Native Wellness, the Youth Cultural Camps program and Variety Village. A separate $500 million investment through the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund is helping revitalize existing local sport and recreation facilities and build new ones.
“Halton Black Voices launched Deep Roots to close a specific gap: Black youth in Halton face real cost, transportation, and representation barriers to organized sport. Jumpstart’s support allowed us to remove those barriers — covering registration and gym access, providing equipment, and delivering a full season of basketball programming to youth across the region at no cost to families. The impact extends beyond participation. This funding strengthened the infrastructure behind the program, from consistent gym time to coaching capacity, which means Deep Roots continues past this grant cycle. For the young people in it, that consistency matters as much as the game itself,” said Braxton Dinh-Wignall, Director of Community & Programs, Halton Black Voices.
