Town of Huntsville exploring new grant and sponsorship opportunities for Council directives

The town is looking into ways to expand revenues

The Town of Huntsville agreed to exploring new grant and sponsorship opportunities for Council directives, in the February 23, 2026, meeting.

Councillor, Scott Morrison, brought forward a motion requesting that staff investigate grant and sponsorship opportunities, along with a potential new staff position to implement them “because of the strains that we have on our budgets recently and the strains we have on revenue.”

He added, “We can’t just start charging people 10 times the amount for swim lessons or things like that.”

He suggested that the Town now being a part of the Northern Heritage Fund (NHF) increases their potential for more grants.

According to Morrison, Muskoka-Parry Sound secured $16.3 million in grants over the past few years, although, most of it went to Parry Sound. Now that Muskoka is a part of the NHF it increases the chances for more funding for them.

He said that increased funding can help with other potential positions and initiatives as well, including a Planning Co-ordinator for special developments, fundraising and special events initiatives, expansion of the nurse practitioner center, and interns for various areas.

He emphasized the importance of having staff report back about the potential to hire someone responsible for fundraising, which “could help the Town fund the stuff that we have in the directives list and without the funding for it.”

He added, “I think it’s the only position we can hire that could pay for itself 10 times, 20 times, 15 times, and help us hire the other jobs that we’ve been turning down.”

Deputy Mayor, Dan Armour, inquired about whether grants are issued on a one-time basis and said often the Town has to come up with 50% of funding.

He also inquired about whether grants for positions cover the whole duration of them or if they eventually end up on the levy.

Morrison said some grants cover short term positions. “They’re not going to fund you over, and over, and over again. So, it might be a stop gap, getting you to where you want to be, proving that the position is needed…and then if you decide it’s worth putting on the levy then you would.”

He added that the consideration is for sponsorships as well, however, they currently don’t have a position to sell them.

Councillor, Dione Schumacher, expressed concern about the sponsorship idea of naming buildings with a business name. She said, “Most people are not going to think about it as the sponsor… We’ve come to know these places.”

She added, "For our community, something is just always going to be that thing.”

Morrison said the Town already has a sponsorship naming policy which won’t change. “What we’re looking at is if an opportunity came up with a new building, having staff members specifically designated to go out and get that sponsorship – that that’s their job, they’re incentivized to do it.”

Councillor, Cory Clarke, supported having staff return with a report with the grant and sponsorship ideas for consideration, “but I’m not sure that I would support a new position to implement grants or find opportunities if that’s where this is going when the report comes back.”

Mayor, Nancy Alcock, replied, “My understanding of the motion is that we’re working on a number of solutions, a number of opportunities… So, that might be in there and that will be part of the discussion when it comes back.”