Since the program never launches on a specific date, it's very hard to know what to expect. We're always on tenterhooks in early January, wondering whether the launch will be on January 15 or January 30, for example, because we have roughly a month to submit all our applications after the program launches.
After that, the time we spend waiting for a response is never the same. We can't be sure we'll get an answer on April 15, for example. Sometimes it comes in early April, other times at the end of April, and that affects how we reserve facilities. This may be true for Mr. Cantin as well. We have to commit to the cities and tell them when we'll need the pool. We have a deadline for cancelling those reservations. If we cancel too late, we're charged for it. Consequently, we don't know whether we'll need the pool until we've received a response to our application. If the answer comes too late and we're ultimately informed that funding has been granted for only one position, as was the case last year, we can't hold the camp and have to pay a penalty for cancelling.
So it's very hard not having fixed dates. The program's dates should be fixed. For example, you could require that the applications be received no later than January 15 and that responses be sent out by April 15 at the latest. That would make it much easier for the organizations to manage these applications and properly plan their activities.