Manitoba government invests in 30 organizations promoting accessibility in the province

The Good Will Social Club was one of 30 organizations to receive funding from the government to help with accessibility projects.

Thirty organizations in Manitoba are receiving support from the provincial government to tackle projects that promote accessibility.

The Manitoba government announced on Wednesday that $756,000 from the Manitoba Accessibility Fund will go toward these organizations.

“This year’s grant recipients include four Manitoba businesses, 21 non-profit organizations, three school divisions, one post-secondary institution and one municipality,” said Families Minister Rochelle Squires.

“These recipients demonstrated that their projects fulfill more than one of three objectives. Raising awareness about the prevention and removal of barriers, developing tools, resources and training to support compliance with the AMA standards or removing barriers to information and communications, electronically, in print and in person.”

Two of the organizations that received funding is the Good Will Social Club’s Free Will project and the University College of the North.

The Good Will Social Club is receiving $20,000 to help remove barrier in the arts and culture scene in Winnipeg, while the University College of the North is getting $50,000 to support an accessibility audit and consultation, as well as updating the library database.

“Everyone should be able to be heard and have the ability to share their stories,” said Donavan Robinson, the operations manager of the Good Will Social Club, in a news release.

“The Good Will Social Club has seen many challenges over the past few years, but the support from our community and funding such as this have given us the opportunity to see the business as more than just a live music venue. The Manitoba Accessibility Fund grant will give opportunities to those who want to contribute where they may not have had the ability or option to do so before.”

Cindee Laverge, the chief administrative officer with the University College of the North, said this money will help improve awareness and accessibility to education.

“The Manitoba Accessibility Fund grant initiative will have a positive impact on students, employees and visitors to the University College of the North. UCN is committed to provide inclusive experiences in all services,” she said in a release.

The fund was first launched in 2021 with a $20 million investment and it is managed by the Winnipeg Foundation.