A pay raise for CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Olympians and Paralympians is rolling out with the Winter Games just weeks away.

Sports Minister Kent Hehr revealed details of the increased money going into the on Friday at WinSport, where many athletes train.

They receive monthly B次元官网网址渃ardingB次元官网网址� cheques from the AAP for living expenses and sport costs their federations donB次元官网网址檛 cover.

A senior card is now worth $1,765 a month, an increase of $265. Development card athletes get $1,060, which is a top-up of $160.

ItB次元官网网址檚 the first increase since 2004.

B次元官网网址淭his is an 18-per-cent increase to what they were getting before,B次元官网网址� Hehr said.

B次元官网网址淭his will allow them the freedom to go out and compete, the freedom for them to train, the freedom then to not worry about rent or food. For many of our athletes, they were getting to that critical point.B次元官网网址�

About 1,900 athletes get carding money.

B次元官网网址淚t seems like not a lot but I know for athletes, that means you can make better choices at the grocery store,B次元官网网址� Olympic champion wrestler Erica Wiebe said.

B次元官网网址淵ou can not have to worry so much about where youB次元官网网址檙e driving and gas money. This is the everyday living and training expenses that athletes choose. That extra 18 per cent means the world to the high-performance athletes here in Canada.B次元官网网址�

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Former luger Jeff Christie, who chairs the Canadian Olympic CommitteeB次元官网网址檚 athletesB次元官网网址� commission, and Olympic champion paddler Adam van Koeverden led the charge for the first raise in 13 years.

B次元官网网址淚 was an athlete the last time they raised it,B次元官网网址� Christie said. B次元官网网址淲e went from $1,200 to $1,500 and I felt like I was the king.B次元官网网址�

Tuition money has also jumped $500 to a maximum of $5,500 per year. Other grants such as child-care support come out of the AAP, which has a budget of $33 million for 2017-18.

The federal government committed in the March budget to pump an extra $5 million annually into the AAP.

Athletes didnB次元官网网址檛 know until Friday exactly how that would impact the dollar amount on their cheques as they didnB次元官网网址檛 receive a raise right away.

So theyB次元官网网址檙e also due for a bonus. It was announced theyB次元官网网址檙e eligible for retroactive pay on the increases for the 2017-18 fiscal year that started April 1.

The 2018 Winter Olympics open Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, followed by the Paralympic Games in March.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press