By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
RM of Corman Park councillors voted unanimously during their September 22 meeting to approve a $2,500 Saskatchewan Lotteries Community Grant for the Twin Rivers Music Festival, bringing the RM’s remaining funding for the year to $18,598.
The Saskatchewan Lotteries Community Grant program assists in the development of sport, culture and recreation programs by providing funds to non-profit community organizations operated by volunteers.
Municipalities like the RM of Corman Park distribute these funds on behalf of the program’ spartners, which include Sask Sport Inc., Sask Culture Inc., and the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association.
This year, the RM was allocated $38,823 to distribute prior to March 31, 2027. Before this grant was approved, the RM had already allocated $12,900 to various groups.
The Twin Rivers Music Festival is an annual event where students ages five and up perform for adjudicators in voice, musical theatre, spoken word and piano categories. The next festival will be held from March 11-21, 2027 in Dalmeny and Martensville.
This was the festival organizers’ first request for a grant, though they also received $2,500 during the 2025-2026 funding cycle.
As noted in the grant application, this money will help pay for the various expenses associated with running the festival, such as adjudication fees, hall rentals, insurance, website costs, accounting fees and so on. It also helps to free up more money “to put into our scholarships for the students.”
Division 7 Councillor Calvin Van Draager put forward the motion to approve the grant, adding, “I don’t know if any of you have gone to this, but this is a great, great event.”
Property tax relief
Councillors also approved three grants totalling more than $3,250 under the RM’s Registered Non-Profit Organization Grant Policy, which are contingent on all of the recipients paying their taxes in full by the end of the year.
The purpose of the policy is to offset up to 50% of a non-profit organization’s property tax burden when said organization supports culture, recreation and social services growth in the RM.
The first grant of $616.70 was for the Italian-Canadian Association of Saskatoon, which operates a cultural centre within the RM on the southwest corner of the city.
Noting that the Italian-Canadian Association’s municipal levy was $1,485.94, Division 5 Councillor Arthur Pruim asked why their grant was not higher.
Director of Finance and Information Technology Cal Hamm explained the association’s municipal levy is part commercial and agricultural, and the grant is only based on their commercial assessment.
The second grant was for $1,902.27, to be paid to the Saskatchewan Drag Racing Association Inc. The association owns and operates The Saskatchewan International Raceway, a sanctioned drag racing facility south of Saskatoon along Highway 11.
Finally, the third grant of $732.73 was for the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, a conservation and education organization that operates a facility southeast of Warman.
All three organizations have been previously approved for grants under Policy FI-007 since it came into effect.