Ontario Volunteer Centre Network Response to the 2025 Federal Budget

A Missed Investment in Canada’s Civic Infrastructure

The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) represents 16 volunteer centres that support thousands of non-profits and community groups across urban, rural and Northern regions. Together, we help millions of Ontarians of all ages contribute to their communities in meaningful ways. From our vantage point, the 2025 federal budget missed a critical opportunity: while it acknowledged the importance of building resilient communities, it made no investment in the human infrastructure that enables resilience to take shape.

This comes at a time when the national volunteering rate declined 8% between 2018-2023 indicating a loss of 1.2 billion hours of community support and volunteer labour for non-profits and community services.

Ontario’s Communities Depend on Strong Civic Systems

Volunteers are essential to the everyday functioning of Ontario’s communities. They strengthen efforts in food security, public health, long-term care, education, youth development, disability supports, newcomer and refugee integration, seniors’ programs, arts and culture, sports and recreation, environmental stewardship, neighbourhood safety, and emergency response. These contributions underpin the social and economic wellbeing of our province.

But volunteer engagement does not happen by accident. It relies on systems—local hubs, mobilization networks, training and safety standards, matching platforms, outreach, and data—that make it possible for people to participate and for organizations to operate effectively. When these systems weaken, the effects are felt everywhere: fewer volunteers, reduced program capacity, greater isolation, and increased pressure on already strained frontline services.

A National Gap with Local Consequences

Across Ontario, community organizations continue to confront rising demand while managing declining volunteer participation. Several volunteer centres have closed or scaled back in recent years due to unstable, short-term funding—leaving entire regions without the civic infrastructure that connects people to opportunities to contribute.

This is why Volunteer Canada’s pre-budget submission was so timely and so important. Its recommendations—spanning investment in the National Volunteer Action Strategy, community innovation and recognition initiatives, and the strengthening of volunteer infrastructure nationwide—reflect what Ontario is experiencing directly: that community resilience requires coordinated systems, not just goodwill.

Affirming Support for Volunteer Canada’s Recommendations

OVCN strongly supports Volunteer Canada’s call for federal investment, particularly the recommendation to commit $50 million over three years to Canada’s volunteer infrastructure. This funding would:

• stabilize essential local volunteer centres
• strengthen emergency preparedness and community response
• expand accessible pathways for youth, seniors, newcomers, and racialized residents to contribute
• support workforce development and social connection
• and reduce long-term public costs by reinforcing community-led supports

These are practical, high-impact investments with benefits that reach every corner of the province.

A Call for Federal Partnership

“Volunteers strengthen every part of community life, but participation is only possible when the right infrastructure exists. Ontario’s volunteer centres build that infrastructure—connecting people to meaningful roles and supporting the organizations that depend on them. Federal investment is essential if we want to reverse declining participation and ensure our communities remain strong.”
— Joanne McKiernan, Executive Director, Volunteer Toronto; OVCN Steering Committee Member

Ontario’s volunteer centres stand ready to help implement national strategies, support cross-sector collaboration, and strengthen belonging and civic participation across the province. But this work requires federal partnership.

If Canada expects strong, resilient communities, it must invest in the systems that enable people to contribute to them.

The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network is comprised of the following organizations:

• Flamborough Connects
• Pillar Nonprofit Network
• United Way Centraide – North East Ontario
• United Way Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington
• Volunteer & Information Centre HPE
• Volunteer Centre of St. Lawrence-Rideau
• Volunteer Connect York Region
• Volunteer Dufferin
• Volunteer Durham
• Volunteer Halton
• Volunteer Mississauga Brampton Caledon
• Volunteer Ottawa
• Volunteer Peterborough
• Volunteer Thunder Bay
• Volunteer Toronto
• Volunteer Waterloo Region

If you’re with the media, contact inquiries@ovcn.ca.