Welcome Policy is a recreation fee subsidy to help Toronto residents access recreation programs. Eligible individuals and families will receive an annual financial credit that can be used towards the cost of all FitnessTO memberships and fitness multi-use passes, in addition to registered recreation programs such as lessons, camps and after-school care programs offered by the City of Toronto.
An applicant (and their family) must meet the following criteria:
To apply, you must provide required documents for each family member.
If you have already submitted an application you may upload additional documents using your upload token.
Welcome Policy is a fee subsidy to help individuals and families who live in Toronto participate in City recreation programs.
Eligible residents will receive an annual individual credit amount that can be used for recreation programs offered at Toronto Community Recreation Centres.
(non-transferable between family members)
Fees are effective January 1, 2024.
Welcome Policy recreation fee subsidy is valid for a 12-month period and funds do not carry over into the next year. Residents need to re-apply and submit required documents each year. People who receive Ontario Works are automatically eligible and should contact their caseworker.
Welcome Policy is administered by Toronto’s Application & Support Centre (ASC). This office falls under the Social Development, Finance, and Administration division’s Human Services Integration Office. The ASC will process all Welcome Policy recreation fee subsidy applications, renewals, and file updates.
To be an Applicant (Main Contact on Application Form), you must be 18 years of age or older.
An applicant (and their family) must meet the following criteria:
Eligibility is determined by family size and income. City of Toronto staff will review each application with required documents to determine eligibility.
| *Statistics Canada determines the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) threshold by family size, per the Census Family definition. The Low Income Cut-Off thresholds were last updated June 30, 2023. | |
| Family Size* | Total Annual Income for Family |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $29,380 |
| 2 people | $36,576 |
| 3 people | $44,966 |
| 4 people | $54,594 |
| 5 people | $61,920 |
| 6 people | $69,835 |
| 7 people | $77,751 |
If you receive Ontario Works (OW), you automatically qualify for Welcome Policy.
If you receive Temporary Care Assistance (TCA), the child(ren) in your temporary care automatically qualify for Welcome Policy.
Provide one document per family member.
Accepted forms of identification are:
Provide one document per family member over 18.
Accepted documents are:
Provide one document for the family.
Accepted documents are:
*Notice of Assessment must include name, address, tax year as well as page with line 15000 (total income).
If you receive Canadian Pension such as Canadian Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and Ontario Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS) must submit current year Notice of Assessment to prove your income.
If you receive no income or do not have proof of income documents, please submit a signed letter from a representative of a social agency or religious institution.
We encourage all residents to apply for Welcome Policy online. You will receive email notification regarding the outcome of your application within 10 business days. If you submit a paper application, processing of paper applications can take up to 8 weeks.
If you require assistance or have questions about the application, please call the Application & Support Centre at 416-338-8888.
Important Notice:
A Canada Post service disruption is currently in effect, which could impact the processing of Welcome Policy paper applications. You may fax your completed application with supporting documents to 416-338-5046 to prevent delays in processing.
Effective immediately, we will not be processing any old versions of the paper application. Only the current application form will be accepted (Form number: 21-0185 2022-12 on the bottom left corner).
If you are unable to complete the Welcome Policy application online, you can download a paper application form or request one at a Toronto Community Recreation Centre. Processing times for paper applications can take up to 8 weeks.
Photocopy and attach all required documents.
Mail your completed application to:
City of Toronto – Welcome Policy Application
55 John Street – Mail Room
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 3C6
Paper applications and required documents can also be dropped off to your local Community Recreation Centre or Civic Centre.
Welcome Policy recreation fee subsidy can be used towards the cost of all FitnessTO memberships and fitness multi-use passes in addition to registered recreation programs such as lessons, camps and after-school care programs.
The City of Toronto is launching a new system for recreation and cultural activities registration, facility bookings and memberships.
Visit Online Registration and Booking to learn more about the new system and how to prepare for the transition.
Programming is offered at all City of Toronto Community Recreation Centres.
To learn more, visit How to Register for Recreation Programs.
If you are approved for the Welcome Policy, you will receive a letter containing the email address associated with your applications, subsidy amounts and the subsidy end date.
You can view family members currently approved for Welcome Policy, if your Welcome Policy is Active or Expired, the effective dates, amount issued, amount used and the balance remaining for each approved family member.
If you didn’t provide an email on your Welcome Policy application, or do not have an email address, please speak with staff at your local community centre, civic centre or call the Parks, Forestry & Recreation Client Services at 416-396-7378 Option 1. Staff can help you to add an email to your account, if possible, or let you know the balance of your Welcome Policy.
Registering online is the fastest and easiest way to register for programs.
The “use subsidy box” will be selected by default if your Welcome Policy is Active and has a subsidy Balance available.
Enter the Amount to Apply. If you do not wish to use your Welcome Policy credit, keep the amount of credit to apply $0. Proceed to Check out to make payment or Finish if no payment is needed.
If you withdraw or transfer from a program that subsidy was used for, the amount of subsidy used will be returned.
View an online tutorial of this process at Online Registration & Booking
If you didn’t provide an email on your Welcome Policy application, or do not have an email address, please speak with staff at your local community centre, civic centre or call the Parks, Forestry & Recreation Client Services at 416-396-7378 Option 1. Staff can help you to add an email to your account, if possible, or to process a registration or buy a membership.
City of Toronto staff will review each application and required documents to determine eligibility for Welcome Policy.
You must re-apply each year with updated documents.
If required documents were missing from your original application or are not legible, you will be notified by email or mail if they need to be re-submitted.
You will need the confirmation number from your original application and a unique token number in order to re-submit documents online.
The confirmation number was provided upon submission of your application and can be referenced in the confirmation notice that was sent to your email. The unique token number is assigned to your application and will be provided in an email.
Your application will be processed faster if you re-submit documents online.