While medal payments help, Canadian Paralympians can still be in difficult financial positions

When the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) announced in 2024 that Canada’s Paralympic medallists would be receiving money alongside their hardware for the first time, longtime Para hockey team member Tyler McGregor thought it was a welcome change.

“My initial thoughts were like it's incredible,” he said. “And for so many reasons. I think it's both beneficial for aspiring athletes and people in pursuit of their Paralympic dreams.”

Those payments, known as the Paralympic Performance Recognition Program, mean $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze. They were made possible after a $4-million donation from healthcare entrepreneur Sanjay Malaviya via his foundation, funding from the Government of Canada, and investment from the Canadian Paralympic Foundation.

At the time, the CPC hailed the funding as a vast improvement, as did then Minister for Sport and Physical Activity, Carla Qualtrough, a former Paralympian herself. 

“This is a very welcome initiative and a game changer for Paralympic sport in Canada, recognizing the incredible amount of work, commitment, and resources required to compete at a world-class level,” Qualtrough said as part of the CPC’s press release.

According to statements from the CPC, Paris 2024 medallists received $535,000 and 2026 Milano-Cortina medallists received $555,000. There is no such program for Commonwealth Games medallists.

When McGregor was asked about what he spent his money on after the team captured silver in the most recent Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina, it wasn’t anything extravagant.

“I'm actually really good in terms of money management. So, I haven't spent it yet,” Mcgregor said, “ However, I will say in about a month, it'll probably all be gone. When