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Access
to Recreation for Low-Income Families
Background
Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO) along with other
national, provincial and territorial associations were
involved in the development of a national policy on
access to recreation for low income families. PRO has
set an objective and action plan to create awareness
of the issue, build partnerships committed to action
and provide tools and resources to help mobilize communities
to provide recreation without barriers for low-income
families, especially children and youth.
The PRO Board of Directors endorsed the 2005 national
policy statement and created a seven-step plan of action
to support the implementation of the policy in Ontario
that included establishing a multisectoral Task Group
to lead the policy discussion. The Ontario Task Group
on Access to Recreation for Low-Income Families is comprised
of members from a broad representation of provincial,
municipal, non-profit, corporate, and advocacy partners.The
members share an interest in the healthy development
of children, youth, families and communities and are
working collaboratively to influence policy development
in Ontario to increase access to recreation for low-income
children, youth and families.
In Ontario we strongly support the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child (1989) that speaks to the
rights of children to rest and leisure. Ontario's children
and youth are healthier and more resilient as a result
of participating in recreational pursuits. We believe
that innovative approaches should be taken to ensure
that every child regardless of financial circumstances
experiences play, without barriers, engages in positive
and high quality leisure pursuits and enjoys physical,
social and emotional health through participation in
community recreation.
Task Group Partners:
Over
the past two years the task group has:
Updated
the PRO 2000 affordable access policy to reflect the
values and principles of the 2005 national policy on
access to recreation for low-income families.
Conducted
two surveys of service delivery organizations (including
municipalities and nonprofit organizations) in Ontario
on user fee, pricing and access policies.
Focused
on supporting three key national policy actions of:
" development of community policy templates; " advocate
for inclusion of access requirements in infrastructure
" funding programs, and; " advocate for outcome-based
research on this issue.
Hosted a summit on access in Ontario with policy makers,
funders, service delivery organizations and community
stakeholders in November 2007.
Positioned
the sector with the tools and capacities to identify
those marginalized and respond.
Supported
ongoing, progressive research and outcome measures.
The Ontario Task Group on Access to Recreation for Low-Income
Families continues to advance this important social
issue on the provincial and national political agenda.
Several
resources on affordable access are available by clicking
on the links below.
Outlines principles developed by the Board
of Directors, which formed the basis the
the creation of a Task Group on Access to
Recreation for Low Income Families.
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Innovative initiatives that are increasing
access to recreation for low-income children
and youth are listed from 11 different organizations.
Some have been completed and others are
ongoing.
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Summary of an online survey of 145 municipal
recreation practitioners in Ontario with
regard to policies and practices for low
income access to recreation.
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A statement of vission and beliefs from
the policy planning institute held November
14, 2007.
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Sample of a resolution, passed at the Parks
and Recreation Ontario (PRO) Annual General
Meeting in 2006 which could be used by an
organization that would like to adopt the
Canadian Parks and Recreation Association
(CPRA) Access Policy.
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Summary of a research project to support
the work of the Access to Recreation for
Low-income Families project. Bibliographic
databases, recent U.S., U.K. and Australian
evaluations on after-school programs,
at-risk youth recreation programs, and
youth development programs have been reviewed
as well as evidence-based youth crime
prevention strategies in community settings
Please
also visit the Access to Recreation collection
at the Lifestyle Information Network -
www.lin.ca.
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Public
Affairs
For
a number of years, PRO and a number of allied organizations
have been involved in a public affairs group. This group
was responsible for, among other things, issuing trend
watch documents, identifying emerging trends and providing
recommendations for the sector.
The Trend Watch documents are now available on
the Lifestyle Information Network website.
Click on the link to the Recreation Database and search
by keyword or phrase. For a complete list of Trend Watch
documents published by the Public Affairs committee,
please click here.
In 2008, PRO launced two new public affairs and advocacy
committees: The Parks and Recreation Public Affairs
Network and the PRO Policy Development Council.
The
Parks and Recreation Public Affairs Network will
facilitate the monitoring of trends and issues affecting
the parks and recreation sector in the province of Ontario
and assist with the development of Trend Watch documents.
The Network will be an open forum for the discussion
and dissemination of trends and issues and will act
as an early identification mechanism. PRO will provide
the administrative support for the Network, but the
Network is open to any organization or individual. John
Lohuis will chair the committee and PRO is pleased to
have Brian Connors continue to take an active role drafting
many trend watch documents. There are no set terms for
members, and we encourage all our allied partner organizations
to consider having a representative attend meetings
as issues arise. We also encourage any PRO member to
become involved by submitting issues, trends or concerns
for public discussion and to be involved in further
refinement. Issues needing policy statements or other
more in depth advocacy action will move forward to the
Policy Development Council. For more information on
the Network, contact Diane English at PRO (denglish@prontario.org
or 416-426-7306).
PRO
is also pleased to launch the Policy Development
Council. This group is made up of PRO members who
are taking a lead on strategic initiatives such as June
is Recreation and Parks Month, Infrastructure Funding
Strategy and Access to Recreation for Low Income Families.
The Policy Development Council provides leadership in
the development of policies for the parks and recreation
sector and advocates and advances innovative policy
solutions. The Policy Development Council provides comments
on key public policy issues and raises public awareness
of issues in the sector. Additionally, the Council implements
elements of the PRO Strategic plan as related to policy
development and demonstrates the leadership role of
PRO in the sector. Jennifer Reynolds is chair of the
Council, which includes the following members:
Terry
Alyman (Halton Hills), Infrastructure Portfolio
Howie Dayton (Ajax), Access Portfolio
Darlene Joslin (Richmond Hill), June is Recreation and
Parks Month
Jan Wilson (Windsor), Municipal Performance Measures
Portfolio
Nina de Vaal (Oakville), Senior Managers' Institute/Charter
for Recreation
Frank Prospero (Halton Hills), PRO Board liaison
John Lohuis (Mississauga), Public Affairs Network
Mary Gallop (Peterborough and Play Works Chair), Children
and Youth Portfolio
Performance
Measures
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH)
has added Parks and Recreation (and Library service)
as two new areas to the Municipal Performance Measures
Program (MPMP) that are being reported in the 2005 Financial
Information Return (FIR).
PRO
has co-chaired a Working Group with MMAH, working in
cooperation with the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association
(ORFA) and the Ontario Parks Association (OPA) and the
Association of Municipalities of Ontario to develop
a set of measures for parks and recreation.
Q's
and A's - Municipal Performance Measures for Parks and
Recreation Services
A series of questions and answers have been prepared
to assist personnel in the municipal parks and recreation
service sector. This information was based on questions
and discussions during a recent Ontario-wide workshop
series and are designed to supplement the instructions
provided by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Please click
here.
Infrastructure
Renewal Strategy
Investing
in Healthy and Active Ontarians Trhough Recreation and
Parks Infrastructure: A Summary of Trends and Recommendations
(2007) - Parks
and Recreation Ontario (PRO) released a research report
entitled Investing in Healthy and Active Ontarians through
Recreation and Parks Infrastructure, prepared with the
participation of the Ontario Parks Association and the
Ontario Recreation Facilities Association. This report
provides compelling data, trends and recommendations
on the current crisis in parks and recreation infrastructure
in Ontario. The vast majority of publicly-owned recreation
facilities were built between 1956 and 1980, and are
in desperate need of retrofit or replacement.
The study found that a total of 424 major facilities
in 255 different municipalities are at or beyond their
useful life and likely candidates for imminent capital
rehabilitation with an estimated price tag of $5 billion.
It is PRO's hope that all orders of government will
chose to make funding sport and recreation infrastructure
a priority during the next decade. We know that you
recognize the economic and social value of a well-maintained
parks and recreation infrastructure in your community.
Parks and open space contribute to creating socially
cohesive communities as well as tourism and economic
development, while recreation programs provide opportunities
for people of all ages and abilities to become more
physically active.
It is more important than ever that we make a significant
investment in parks and recreation in order to halt
the obesity epidemic, improve the environment and create
active and healthy communities. These are some of the
priorities outlined by PRO in the current advocacy platform
for the sector, Investing in People and Communities
through Parks and Recreation. This document has been
circulated to all PRO members, stakeholders and Ontario
MPPs as a tool to engage all orders of government in
the current issues in the parks and recreation sector.
Click
here
to download the report.
Infrastructure
Summary: Trends and Recommendations August 2006
- Ontarians need to have recreation opportunities that
are “inclusive and encompass every environment
that accommodates leisure, recreation, physical activity
and sport endeavours." Recreation infrastructure
in Ontario is aging and is in a state of physical decline.
The vast majority of the publicly owned recreation facilities
was built between 1956 and 1980. To view the fall Summary
Report, please click
here.
Major Municipal Sport and Recreation Facility Inventory Final Report (April 2006) - This report presents municipal infrastructure data related to four types of sport and recreation facilities – community centres, arenas, indoor pools and outdoor pools. The content of this document is intended to provide an indication of the size/scale of the facility inventory in the sector and an order of magnitude capital cost estimate associated with the repair and replacement implications of the existing municipal facility stock. To view the full report of Phase 1 and 2 please click here.
Play
Works
What is the Play Works Partnership?
We are a group of organizations concerned about the
future of our youth. We represent the areas of sport,
physical activity, civic engagement, arts and culture,
rural youth, and recreation. We have joined forces to
bring back the power of play to Ontario youth and are
dedicated to advancing youth play on local and provincial
public and political agendas. Download
the Playworks Platform.
What
is the power of play?
Play isn't all fun and games. It's not just in a park
or a gym. And it's not just for children. Play is diving
off the high board, making pottery, throwing a snowball,
dreaming on an lawn. It's all about shaping, learning
and inspiring. A game of chess ignites reasoning. A
run in the park builds endurance and strength. Volunteering
at an art gallery develops social responsibility. Play
is crucial for the social, physical, intellectual, emotional
and civic development of youth. Play works.
So,
what's the big deal?
- Places
to play are becoming less accessible to youth.
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Cutbacks mean fewer activities for youth.
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Unsupervised activities for youth are seen as too
risky.
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Volunteers and leaders are ready to burn out.
What
does all this mean? Less youth participation. And that
can mean more crime, drug use, complaints about loitering,
and contributes to a 50 per cent increase in childhood
obesity over the last 15 years. Ontario needs to
come out and play.
Play Works Partnership
www.playworkspartnership.ca
pwp@playworkspartnership.ca
c/o 1185 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 406
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3C 3C6
Phone: 416-426-7142
Fax: 416-426-7371
Play Works acknowledges
and appreciates the support from the The
Laidlaw Foundation, the Ontario
Trillium Foundation, and the Ontario
Ministry of Health Promotion.
Provincial Consortium on Youth in Recreation
The Provincial Consortium on Youth in Recreation is a collaboration of organizations and/or individuals whose purpose is to see youth in quality recreation and physical activity programs in Ontario. The Consortium aims to achieve this by increasing the recreation and sport sector's ability to have a greater impact in achieving a positive youth development approach in recreation and physical activity.
For
training and development opportunities please click
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