Ruby Andrews, 4, pushes her bike up a ramp at Joyride 150 in Markham, Ontario on Saturday, January 31, 2015. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced on March 8, 2016 that sports organizations hoping for provincial funding will have to place greater emphasis on including women and girls.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
The Ontario government says sports organizations hoping for provincial funding will have to place greater emphasis on including women and girls.
Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement Wednesday to coincide with International Women's Day.
Wynne says organizations hoping to tap into Ontario's Amateur Sport Fund must now offer equal access to training and coaching for women and update their policies to support the inclusion of women and girls.
Wynne also says the province wants to see more women involved as coaches and mentors as well as athletes.
The province will provide funding for the Coaches Association of Ontario to recruit and train 250 female coaches and 90 female mentors by the end of the year.
Wynne says engaging girls in sport has lifetime benefits and helps level the playing field between genders.