Late funding injection saves Regina's Ignite Adult Learning Centre from permanent closure

Ignite Adult Learning Centre will continue to operate in Regina for at least another year.

Ignite provides a GED program and resources for addiction recovery, suicide prevention and housing support. The organization announced last month that it would permanently close in September after its provincial funding was slashed in half.

In a previous interview with CBC, an Ignite office manager warned that the closure of the facility could increase homelessness and unemployment. Now, the province's Ministry of Immigration and Career Training has reinstated the funding for the time being.

Dellice Saxby, Ignite's executive director, got the ministry's attention by raising the issue at the legislature last month. Saxby said the deputy minister and the assistant deputy minister visited Ignite after that.

"We had a really good conversation about all the things we do here and how we were hoping that another ministry would be willing to come on board to support us as well," Saxby said.

The ministry is bumping Ignite's funding back up to $580,000, from $250,000 promised in the most recent budget. An additional $50,000 was provided by the Ministry of Justice, which was connected to Ignite's community safety and well-being program. 

"We had [students] gleefully jumping around. We had some that were just happy and relieved and in tears," Saxby said. "The staff are still sort of adjusting our brains from having to find new jobs to getting to continue the work that we love." 

Saxby said Ignite will likely have to put some of its reserve funds toward this year's operating costs, as the organization is still looking for about $250,000 from the community, the City of Regina or private corporations.

"We are just incredibly grateful," Saxby said. "I had no idea that any of that support would be so vocal and so immediate and to have this kind of an impact. I knew there were members in portions of the community that would definitely support us, but they were so effective in their messaging that it actually caused the government to change their course."