Minor hockey and Safe Grad receive support during January council meeting

Town of St. Paul council approved two applications under its Community Grant Funding program and denied a third during the Jan. 12 council meeting.

These were the first funding requests considered in 2026, leaving the full $15,000 allocation for the year available at the time of the decisions.

Provincial hockey tournament supported

Council approved a $1,000 grant request from St. Paul Minor Hockey to support the hosting of the U15A Provincial Championships in St. Paul from March 19–22.

The tournament will be held at both the Clancy Richard Arena and the CAP Arena and is expected to bring eight teams to the community, involving approximately 130 athletes.

Council approved the request in line with municipal policy.

Volleyball request denied

A second request was submitted by the Rhinos Volleyball Club, based in Bonnyville but occasionally including players from the St. Paul area. The club requested a $250 sponsorship for its 16U Rhinos Men’s team.

Administration advised council that the request did not meet the criteria outlined in the Community Grant Funding policy. A motion to approve the sponsorship was brought forward but was unanimously defeated by council.

Safe Grad facility request approved

A third request came from the St. Paul Regional High School Graduation 2026 committee, which organizes the Safe Grad portion of the school’s graduation celebrations.

The group requested use of the St. Paul Recreation Centre and Curling Rink for its June event. Under municipal policy, the committee qualifies for a 50 per cent discount on facility rental fees. Financial information was provided to council as part of the request.

Council approved the facility request as presented.

Funding remains available

With these being the first applications of the year, the Town’s full $15,000 Community Grant Funding budget for 2026 was available at the time of the meeting.