Part 1: The Council Grapples with Daycare, Community Space, and Grants – 05/23/2024
- PECConnect
- May 23, 2024
- 4 min read
The County’s Committee of the Whole met on May 23, 2024, at Shire Hall to tackle two issues with deep community impact: how to respond to a growing childcare shortage, and how the County supports local non-profit organizations. The meeting was chaired by Councillor Brad Nieman (Bloomfield/Hallowell) and brought together councillors, staff, community leaders, and a large public audience, many focused on the future of Athol Town Hall.
The agenda was amended early in the meeting to allow additional public input on the Athol Town Hall daycare proposal, reflecting the significance of the issue locally. A planned discussion on urban road asset management was deferred to a future meeting.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>
Community Grants and the State of Local Nonprofits
The meeting began with a deputation from Dominique Jones, Executive Director of The County Foundation, who provided context for an ongoing review of the County’s community grants program. Jones outlined national and local trends affecting charities and non-profits, including rising demand for services, declining donor participation, and staffing challenges driven by inflation and short-term funding cycles.
Jones emphasized that many County organizations operate with minimal staff or rely entirely on volunteers, and that municipal funding plays a stabilizing role when provincial and federal programs are harder to access. She highlighted ideas such as multi-year funding, greater flexibility in how grants can be used, and a more transparent application process. Councillors asked questions about donation trends, impact investing, and whether longer-term grants could reduce administrative churn for small organizations.
Athol Town Hall and the Daycare Proposal
The bulk of the meeting focused on a proposal to lease part of Athol Town Hall to The Hub Child & Family Centre for a five-year daycare operation serving up to 24 preschool children. The proposal prompted a long series of deputations, questions, and public comments.
Susan Wallis, speaking on behalf of the Athol Recreation Committee, described the Town Hall as a vital rural hub for social connection, recreation, and volunteer-led programming. She stressed that the committee was not opposed to daycare, but worried about losing daytime access to the only assembly-capacity building in the ward and questioned whether the proposal addressed the scale of childcare need.
Stacey Stanford, Executive Director of The Hub, explained the rationale for the location, noting the lack of licensed childcare in Athol, the size and layout of the building, and its accessibility for commuting families. She outlined planned upgrades, including accessible washrooms and a fenced outdoor play area, all to be funded by The Hub. Stanford emphasized a willingness to share the space and work collaboratively with existing users.
Additional deputations from Nicola Chapman and multiple members of the public reflected both sides of the issue. Some speakers underscored the urgency of childcare for working families and the economic consequences of long waitlists. Others raised concerns about consultation, shared use, and the long-term impact on community groups such as the Women’s Institute.
Council Direction and Next Steps
After extensive discussion, councillors agreed in principle to move the proposal forward but amended the process. Council directed staff to return with a revised lease agreement, following further consultation with the Athol Recreation Committee, the Women’s Institute, and The Hub, clearly outlining shared use of the space. That revised agreement is to come back to Council on June 25, 2024.
The meeting later turned back to the Community Funding Review, where councillors supported continued consultation with the non-profit sector and signaled interest in flexibility, equity, and non-financial supports such as grant-writing assistance.
Key Takeaways
Childcare is widely recognized as a pressing issue, but solutions are unfolding incrementally and through shared community spaces.
Athol Town Hall remains a deeply valued asset, and Council signaled that collaboration and shared use are essential going forward.
The County is rethinking how it funds and supports community organizations, with an emphasis on flexibility, fairness, and long-term impact.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:54:37. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.
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