TORONTO - Publicly funded school gyms, classrooms and athletic fields are sitting empty after hours across the province because community groups can't afford to access them, says a survey released Thursday.
Despite the $20-million in funding flowing to school boards through the Community Use of Schools program, some groups are being shut out by rising fees, arbitrary application processes and a lack of accountability, the report found.
The survey, conducted by the groups Saving Public Access to Community Space Everywhere and the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto, called on the province to increase funding and impose a more consistent fee system.
"There really is a patchwork of fee structures within and between jurisdictions,'' said John Campey, the council's executive director. "There is absolutely no consistency between and across school boards over what they charge and around the processes.''
Campey called for a provincial plan that would see "year-long improved access to our schools to fully achieve the province's vision of schools as hubs.''
The survey of 230 community groups found 16 per cent of respondents reported an increase in permit fees over the last two years, while just 11 per cent said their fees actually decreased last year.
Some 20 per cent of respondents said they had to cancel programs last year due to permit fees--four per cent more than the previous year.
Some of the groups said that in addition to prohibitively high fees, their permit applications had been turned down by principals unwilling to welcome new groups or because of concerns over hosting programs for high-risk youth after hours.
One week after the May 23 shooting of Jordan Manners, 15, in the hallway of his Toronto high school, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that the city's schools would get $4 million to operate summer programs to keep kids busy and safe.
Toronto youth worker Keith Sweeney said the young people he works with want to create their own programs and start businesses, but have been limited in the past because of the lack of space and the high fees.
"Creating community space at the school will not only put their foot in the door, but blow the door right open,'' Sweeney said. "We can really see things start to happen when we have less red tape and barriers for access to community spaces.''
Alok Mukherjee, Toronto Police Services Board chair, said school-based community programs make an important contribution to community safety.
The response to violence among young people requires both police enforcement and prevention through social investment, said Mukherjee, who added action to remove barriers to access to school spaces was "urgently needed.''
A more user-friendly, transparent, accessible and accountable permit application process is needed to deal with shortcomings in the Community Use of Schools program, including a dispute-resolution process, the study recommends.
It also calls for improved accountability and an evaluation process, including the tabling of an annual report to the legislature to show how the funding is being used.
