News | Leisure Information Network

Healthy Food and Beverage Sales Webinar

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:50:25 GMT

The BCRPA is inviting people to participate in a Healthy Food and Beverage Sales Webinar taking place Monday, March 5, 2012, 10-11:30 a.m. PST.

We encourage our citizens to adopt active healthy lifestyles, invite them to take advantage of related programs and services available at their local recreation facility...and then offer them junk food!?

The irony of this has not been lost and through the Stay Active Eat Healthy® program, communities across BC have been taking deliberate, and successful, steps to ensure their support for healthy eating doesn't end at the front door.

The BCRPA is hosting a free informative and interactive Webinar that will examine what's been done in BC to facilitate the adoption of healthy food and beverage options in recreation facilities and provide first hand accounts from communities as they have worked to change their food environments.

For more information visit www.bcrpa.bc.ca/hfbswebinar The Webinar is open to participants from across the country.

Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Register now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/858225038.

Operator wants to bring Segways to Nanaimo

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:37:54 GMT

Segway Victoria is looking for the city's backing to offer guided tours of Nanaimo's parks and trails during a pilot project this May. It would be the first Segway tour of its kind on Vancouver Island and the second in B.C.

Tamara Cunningham, Nanaimo Daily News, Feb 23, 2012

Heritage Canada Foundation - Make Your Voice Heard

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:30:09 GMT

HCF is Asking for Input on the State of Heritage in Canada
Make your voice heard.

Complete two short Survey questions by February 24th.

Ottawa, ON, February 14, 2012 – As part of the lead up to its 2012 National Heritage Summit, Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) has developed a quick survey to help capture an overview of the state of heritage conservation in Canada.

How do you read the heritage conservation barometer in your community? Are things just fine, or is stormy weather on the way? Complete this short, anonymous survey (5 minutes) and help create an overview of the state of heritage in Canada.

Your insights matter. Survey results will be incorporated into a Discussion Paper that will be nationally circulated for comment. This, along with ongoing cross-Canada consultation, will help determine the program for the National Heritage Summit, which HCF and cooperating organizations are mounting in Montreal October 11-13, 2012 (mark your calendars!). This Summit will be a time for the heritage community to take stock, foster connections, and set priorities for putting heritage on the local and national agenda. Please complete the survey by Friday, February 24th.

City of Delaware Turns Parks & Rec Programming over to YMCA

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:52:24 GMT

The city of Delaware has officially handed over its recreational programming to the YMCA which is also overseeing two facilities as well as the city's parks and recreation offices. The transition was made last month following Delaware City Council's decision in 2011.

Kristina Thomas, Delaware News, Feb 20, 2012

New Report Examines Viability of Future Funding for Urban Parks and Recreation - U.S.

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:44:46 GMT

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the Urban Institute announce the availability of a new report, "Financing the Future: The Critical Role of Parks in Urban and Metropolitan Infrastructure." The report, written by noted author and urban planner William Fulton, analyzes discussion from a recent roundtable of national experts including park directors, mayors, and urban planners who examined the role and impact of parks and recreation in America's cities, counties and urban metropolitan areas as these traditional public services continue to face financial constraints and an ever-changing social landscape of contemporary America.

Marketwatch.com, Feb 21, 2012

Solar panels on arena seen as moneymaker

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:20:05 GMT

The North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre (NSSRC) will enter into a lease agreement with Nautilus Solar Canada to install solar panels atop the facility. and expects to generate an annual fee of $40,000 for 20 years with no investment required.

Nicole Million, Simcoe.com, Feb 17, 2012.

Toronto’s Pan Am Games on track for success

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:15:41 GMT

With three years to go until the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, the organizing committee (TO2015) is exactly where it needs to be to deliver the largest sporting event Canada has ever seen. The Games will build a lasting legacy of new community facilities, centres for athletic development and a new residential housing community that will attract the attention of the world, while serving local needs.

Roger Garland, Toronto Star, Feb 18, 2012.

Sightless Potential

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:11:02 GMT

This is a good news story of a man who lost his sight in his teenage years, but continued to be physically active at the competitive level, and is now a fitness instructor.

Josh Suman, Bellevue Reporter, Feb 16, 2012.

Drummond Commission Offers Opportunities To Solve Shared Fiscal Challenges

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:02:40 GMT

TORONTO, Feb. 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Ontario's municipal governments will work with the Government of Ontario as it considers the advice of Don Drummond's Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Service, and as it charts a fiscally sustainable course for our province.

"All of Ontario's governments, provincial and municipal, face very real fiscal challenges and we all have a comprehensive report to consider," said AMO President Gary McNamara. "We all have a shared interest in changes that achieve better value for taxpayers, reduce duplication, improve services and control costs."

The Commission acknowledges that the 'provincial-municipal relationship' is complex and intertwined. Several dozen of the Commission's recommendations touch on services and responsibilities that are of interest to municipalities. There is merit to exploring the Report's recommendations in areas such as:

Social programs and housing (e.g. consolidating delivery of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) with Ontario Works at the municipal level);
Health care (e.g., uploading cost of public health and delivery through Local Health Integration Networks (LHINS)); Infrastructure, real estate and electricity (e.g. consolidating Local Distribution Companies (LDCs), and full-cost pricing and full-cost recovery of water and wastewater treatment services);
Justice system (e.g. alternatives for policing in non-core areas and improvements to Provincial Offenses Act (POA) fine collection); and,
Labour relations (e.g. improving transparency and accountability within the arbitration system).

AMO is anxious about the potential for altering the upload agreement and the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund. The Commission is recommending to delay planned uploads of provincial costs from the municipal property tax base by two years. Premier Dalton McGuinty has made it clear previously that his government would honour its commitment to upload $1.5 billion in Provincial costs from the municipal property tax base by 2018. In addition, he previously assured municipalities that his government would not download new costs onto the shoulders of municipalities. The Commission acknowledges that the uploads are in the public's best interest, and that municipal governments are struggling with their own fiscal pressures. "

AMO looks forward to having productive discussions with the Ontario Government prior to preparation of the 2012 Provincial Budget," said McNamara. AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario's 444 municipal governments.

AMO supports strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the value of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada's political system.

For further information: Brian Lambie, AMO Media Contact, 416-729-5425, lambie@redbrick.ca

Network suggests 24-hour drop-ins to reduce gang problem - Winnipeg

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:29:36 GMT

The head of a West End community group in Winnipeg says youth need a safe place to go -- around the clock -- to escape the lure of gangs. Jamil Mahmood,said kids his organization works with are susceptible to joining gangs, so having resources available 24 hours a day would help keep them from making those bad choices.

Gabrielle Giroday, Winnipeg Free Press, Feb 10, 2012.

Ottawa gives controversial glacier walk project in Jasper Park the green light

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:11:54 GMT

Brewster Travel Canada plans to build a multimillion-dollar interpretive boardwalk and a glass-bottomed observation point 30 metres over the Sunwapta Valley on the Icefields Parkway north of Banff.

Canadian Press, for thestar.com, Feb 9, 2012.

Vancouver explores taxing district for parks

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:06:03 GMT

Vancouver’s recreation centers are struggling to make enough money to support programs, and had to lay off 17 people this month. The Vancouver City Council is considering asking voters to approve a Parks and Recreation levy this August.

Andrea Damewood, the Columbian, Feb 8, 2012.

Calgary Council backs new funding plan for scuttled recreation centres

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:21:50 GMT

Calgary city council on Tuesday unanimously approved plans to build four recreation centres the federal government declined to help finance, which means incurring $250M in debt. But Mayor Naheed Nenshi says bureaucrats have identified predictable sources of debt to pay it back.

Renato Gandia, Calgary Sun, Feb 7, 2012.

If we build it right, they’ll keep coming, and they’ll stay

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:14:21 GMT

With the first release of numbers from the 2011 census, we know that Edmonton is the fastest growing major city in the country. This editorial from the Edmonton Journal comments on the need to provide, not just hard services such as roads fro the growing population but parks and recreation facilities, and to ensure that all citizens feel welcome.

Paula Simons, canada.com, Feb 9, 2012.

Bill Wells Announced as New CEO of ARPA

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:08:31 GMT

The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) is excited to welcome Mr. Bill Wells as their new Chief Executive Officer. Bill is the former Executive Director of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA), where his leadership was critical to the school board in anticipating trends and issues that impacted the field, as well as the development and maintenance of many critical relationships with organizations that were key partners within the education community. His focus on communications strategies with media, business, and government with the SSBA will greatly assist ARPA as we continue to improve these critical relationships as well.

Prescription for gym just what doctor orders

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:04:58 GMT

51 doctors working in the primary care network south of Edmonton have new prescription pads to officially prescribe running, swimming or weights, including a free one-month pass to the local recreation centre.The Prescription to Get Active program is modelled after a similar initiative in New Zealand, called Green Prescription.

By Jodie Sinnema, Postmedia News, Canada.com February 2, 2012

Parks Canada Honored as World’s First National Park Service

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:03:38 GMT

Canada founded the first national parks service in the world on May 19, 1911 as the Dominion Parks Service. Parks Canada now manages one of the most extensive networks of protected national heritage places in the world, encompassing 167 national historic sites, 42 national parks, and four national marine conservation areas.

Vogel talks RVing, Jan 31, 2012

Manitobans back infrastructure tax

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:12:30 GMT

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities conducted a poll recently to find out what Manitobans think the priorities of the new provincial government should be over the next four years. When asked which of five areas should benefit if the provincial government were to dedicate additional revenues from the provincial sales tax to a specific purpose, 44 per cent of respondents indicated they would dedicate these funds to community infrastructure improvement -- well ahead of the numbers for health care (27 per cent) and education (11 per cent).

64 per cent also indicated support for a one percent municipal sales tax to support infrastructure renewal.What these numbers really illustrate is that people understand the connection between infrastructure funding and a healthy, prosperous community.

Results show that citizens understand the increasing demands they are putting on and that they not only want essential services like snow clearing and garbage collection, but infrastructure like multi-use recreation facilities, which are important for health, quality of life and sense of community.

Doug Dobrowolski, Winnipeg Free Press, Jan 28, 2012.

Kenney admits federal fumble in Calgary rec centre bid

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:07:34 GMT

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney acknowledged Thursday that a federal government foul-up led to Calgary being strung along in a failed bid for $100 million to help build four new recreation centres.

Calgary was encouraged to apply for $100 million from PPP Canada, but learned in November they were being turned down, even though the board of PPP Canada, an arms-length Crown corporation, had approved the projects. Kenney said the federal government only learned of Calgary's bid this spring, and officials advised there was no legal authority to fund the rec centres because of cabinet's earlier decision not to give infrastructure stimulus money to rec centres.

Richard Cuthbertson, Vancouver Sun, Jan 26, 2012

Aviva Canada Announces the Recipients of the 2011 Aviva Community Fund

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:19:47 GMT

TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Aviva Canada Inc. is pleased to announce the recipients of the third Aviva Community Fund competition, and this year Canadians helped select 12 worthy ideas representing communities nationwide. A total of $1,000,000 will be awarded to these diverse local projects, including school yards in Ontario and Alberta, an animal rescue facility in British Columbia and a youth camp in Quebec, among others. This unique competition created by property and casualty insurer Aviva Canada aims to lead, empower and support community initiatives across the country.