In 2000, Lynn Daly got the call her west-end community centre had been dreading.

The Christie-Ossington Neighbourhood Centre would have to pay annual rent of $44,000 -- instead of getting free space -- to run its evening programs for children and youth at three area schools. Like all community groups across the province, the centre was hit by new provincial rules that forced schools to charge for after-hours use of their space.

"It was a huge blow," said Ms. Daly, whose centre was forced to cancel 11 programs at the schools overnight.

With stories like this now the norm in Toronto and across the province, the United Way of Greater Toronto released a report yesterday that urged the province, the city and business to remedy the problem.

John Evans, head of a three-person United Way task force and also Torstar Corporation's chairman, described the spiralling cost of space as an artificial problem.

"It isn't about the space; it is lack of access to space," he told a press conference at the Christie-Ossington Centre.

"We actually have an abundant supply of space of the right types for the purpose, but we are erecting financial barriers that prevent that space from being effectively used."

Education funding rules, now under review by the province, are not the only culprit in limiting community access to public space. Increasingly, Toronto charges fees that some neighbourhood groups find unaffordable.

Last spring, a survey of 40 community organizations by the United Way and the city found that community use of schools had dropped 43 per cent since 2000, compared to 15 per cent in city-owned buildings.

Moreover, 69 per cent of the agencies said they faced increased costs for use of schools, compared to 41 per cent who had the same experience at city facilities.

City councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, chairman of the economic development committee, said the cost of access to the city's 140 community centres is now under review.

While the city already offers below-market rents to groups, he said a solution in future may be to charge different rates based on ability to pay.

The United Way estimated that the cost of implementing its report could be $20-million to $25-million a year. Here are the key recommendations:

The province should create a special category within the education formula to pay for community programs operated at schools for children and young people.

The province and the city should share the cost of space required for more general community uses, with groups paying only modest rent.