Photo: Tourism Vernon/Danae Marie

As Okanagan communities begin to release their Family Day plans, people may notice more community sponsorships being thanked, or even a lack of events, as the province is no longer handing out Family Day grants.

Grants used to be awarded through the BC Parks and Recreation Association, which is handled by the B.C. Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

“While it’s understandable that there may be disappointment with the province’s decision to not provide funding to support Family Day events this year, Family Day will continue to be celebrated, and many communities will still organize activities for families to enjoy,” said the ministry in an email.

The ministry also said it values the importance of Family Day activities and events’ ability to enrich community wellbeing.

While the ministry didn’t specify why the grants were no longer available, it did point to a number of other ways it supports community events.

“Our government continues to support community events, such as arts, culture and recreation events through the BC Arts Council, and Community Gaming Grants that bring families and communities together,” said the ministry.

“We have invested more than any other government in B.C.’s history to support arts and culture in communities throughout B.C. The BC Arts Council’s budget increased from $24 million in 2016-17 to more than $40 million in 2024-25 (66% increase).”

The province also says it also supported 2,961 events throughout B.C. through $80 million in one-time grants from the BCFFE fund.

It also pointed to the Community Gaming Grants program which provided $20 million to 730 non-profit arts and culture organizations across B.C. in 2023/24.