Return to pre-pandemic federal funding hurting Quebec summer camps

An end to the boosted funding for Canadian summer camps introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic has left some camps scrambling in Quebec.

The Quebec Camps Association says it is receiving calls from concerned camps, wondering what their summers will look like with the reduced funding.

Some camps in Quebec say they are facing up to a 50 per cent decrease in support from Ottawa. The funding to the Canada Summer Jobs program was temporarily upped during the pandemic.

“We’ve had a number of our camps who have reached out to us to say, ‘what’s going on? What am I supposed to do? This is way more than I ever anticipated,’ said Shauna Joyce, the association’s vice-president.

The federal funding was mainly used towards paying wages. With the substantial cut in some places, camps say they will be forced to hire fewer staff members.

“Which means they’ll have to accept less kids this summer,” said Joyce.

The funding difference – and the impact it will have – differs greatly from camp to camp, Joyce says.

“Some camps receive a few positions every summer,” she said. “So, four or five positions. And maybe now, this summer, they have four, three positions. So, that’s significant. But it’s not drastically significant.

“There are other camps where a significant amount of jobs were funded. And so, if they were getting 50 jobs, this year they’re having 25 jobs funded.”

Concern from working parents 

With many camps now being forced to take in fewer children, working parents like Jeanelene Abo are struggling even more to find an option for their kids. Abo’s two sons have been on the waitlist since April and the family has yet to hear from any camps.

“There are a lot of places, it’s full,” said Abo. “They always say I’m on the waiting list until now. The fourth time I’m asking, they always say my kids are on the waiting list, but nobody called me.”

Joyce recognizes working parents rely heavily on camps throughout the summer.

“In order for parents of school-aged children to be at work, they need child care in the summer, many of them. And that’s the service that camps can provide,” she said.

“Less kids will be served this summer through camping. And that is the main source of childcare in the summer and also the main support of kids having social recreational opportunities, social skill development, connection with other youth, and an opportunity for young people to have their first employment opportunities as well.”

CityNews reached out to the Employment and Social Development Canada for a comment but did not immediately hear back.