Non-profit groups and clubs are having trouble finding places to meet – a situation only made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BC Commissioner for the Girl Guides of Canada, Diamond Isinger, says the space crunch is actually affecting their ability to take in more volunteers and members.

“We actually have one-thousand plus Girl Guide groups in British Columbia. To typically meet on a weekly basis is a real challenge. Especially finding space that is accessible, financially and physically accessible, that can be booked on a regular basis and that we can access after hours because we are typically meeting in the evenings or on the weekends,” she said, on the NL Noon Report.

The pandemic has narrowed the selection further as many organizations and communities have restricted the use of their spaces or have insurance and cleaning concerns.

“Its because of concerns about the virus and about making sure that there’s not a lot of users and there’s some cleaning associated with that,” Isinger said. “So lots of school boards across B.C. municipalities and others have said there’s a pause on bookings.”

Isinger adds the problem is especially acute in rural areas – where the lack of space is actually hurting their ability to set up new groups and grow their membership.

“We have some communities in B.C. where we actually could potentially stretch our resources to open a new group or several new groups – but finding the space that we can meet in that is affordable, that’s accessible, that can be booked regularly is next to impossible…especially so during the pandemic,” she added.