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Investing in Healthy and Active Ontarians Through 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.

The Profile of the Community Sport Volunteer

Sport Alliance of Ontario and Parks and Recreation Ontario are researching sport volunteerism for the purpose of increasing and enhancing recruitment and retention strategies amongst sport groups and community recreation agencies in Ontario. The first phase of the project, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is to get a picture of what volunteerism look like in the sport community. For a quick look, check out the Fact Sheet. For more detailed information, click here for the executive summary or click here for the full report. Please feel free to copy or forward this information to others.

As a follow up to the research on sport volunteerism in Ontario, the Sport Alliance of Ontario and Parks and Recreation Ontario have commissioned a second paper on Volunteer Management in Community Sports Clubs. It focuses on volunteer perceptions of community sport organization practices and needs with regard to volunteer management (i.e., recruitment, training, support, evaluation, recognition, and retention).  It was of particular interest to identify the challenges and needs of sport volunteers themselves, and the challenges and needs of their clubs with regard to volunteer management.  For more detailed information,  click here for the executive summary or click here for the full report. Please feel free to copy or forward this information to others.

The Sport Alliance of Ontario and Parks and Recreation Ontario extend appreciation to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for its support of this research and the Sport Volunteerism initiative.

Affordable Access to Parks and Recreation Services: A Policy Development Framework

User fees have become a topic of increasing discussion in the past few years. Parks and Recreation Ontario invested a good deal of time and energy in considering this issue. The results are a summary and full document that outline six guiding principles government and not for profit agencies should consider when creating user fees policies and practices.