CSAI funding will help WBC support participation and growth across the country
Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) announced it has received funding through the Community Sport for All Initiative (CSAI).
The CSAI seeks to establish more accessible and locally organized sport programs aimed at reducing barriers to participation, particularly among Black, Indigenous and racialized communities as well as 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, persons with disabilities, people with low incomes and newcomers.
The funding received through the CSAI will support projects in WBC’s Active Development for an Aligned Pathway (ADAPt) strategy. The ADAPt strategy represents an intentional, strategic shift in WBC’s approach to investment in provincial and grassroots programming supporting participation and growth.
“On behalf of Wheelchair Basketball Canada and our PSOs, I’d like to thank Sport Canada and The Honourable Carla Qualtrough for their continued support of wheelchair basketball programs across the country,” said Wheelchair Basketball Canada CEO Wendy Gittens. “This funding will help further our efforts to support grassroots programming, participation and growth.”
Programs that received funding through the CSAI include:
East Coast Wheelchair Basketball Youth League
With the CSAI funding, organizations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador will be able to expand current offerings and targeted outreach events. The CSAI funding will also support the ECWBL, which features wheelchair basketball tournaments and camps that bring youth athletes from the four provinces together to play wheelchair basketball. Additionally, officiating, and coaching clinics will be offered to support ongoing programming.
Indigenous Shooting Hoops on Wheels Program (ISHOW)
Indigenous Shooting Hoops on Wheels Program (ISHOW) is a wheelchair basketball program based in Edmonton that introduces wheelchair basketball to Indigenous communities. Funding from CSAI helped expand its program offerings to support participation in remote Indigenous communities across Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 territories.
Schools Program
Using CSAI funding, WBC will enhance the school program in the Ottawa and neighbouring Quebec communities. Funding will help increase participation numbers in underserved groups. Additionally, with Ottawa hosting the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, there is an opportunity for local disability and basketball organizations to leverage the event to increase awareness of wheelchair basketball and recruit more participants to the sport.
“Our government encourages all Canadians to pursue healthy lifestyles. Sport plays an important role in this by helping Canadians build the skills they need to grow and thrive physically, mentally and socially,” said The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity. “Through the Community Sport for All Initiative, we are working with the sport community to make sport inclusive, welcoming and equitable for everyone.”
More information on the Community Sport for All Initiative can be found here.