City hall’s new 10-year parks and recreation master plan is expected to meet residents’ needs, attract new investment and people to the community, and encourage new service-related partnerships with groups.
The department and consulting firm EDS Group Ltd. began working on a new plan in March 2022 to guide the city’s parks and recreation services for the next decade. They reviewed existing documents and acquired public feedback through community consultation activities.
City hall received 317 responses — representing 636 individuals — to a survey; 31 user groups attended workshops; 55 students engaged in activities; 13 youth advisory committee workshops were held; eight employees were interviewed; over 105 people interacted with the city’s Sidewalk Days pop-up tent; and over 50 people participated in two open house follow-up sessions.
The new recommendations ensure the department’s services are aligned with city and community priorities, a council report explained. They also ensure that service delivery methods are effective and efficient and provide residents with opportunities to be active, creative and connected to others and nature.
City hall will review the plan every five years and fund many initiatives using existing financial resources.
Residents' preferences
The recommendations are split into three categories — Service Delivery, Development and Infrastructure, and Programming — and scored out of 45.
Some of residents’ top development and infrastructure recommendations include (score in brackets):
- Opportunities for native plants and food sustainability (43)
- Developing and improving existing parks (43)
- Creating a new trails master plan (43)
- A parks and rec accessibility assessment (43)
- Replacing Phyllis Dewar Outdoor Pool (41)
- Renewing Golden Ticket Sports Centre (41)
- Upgrading Memorial Field grandstands (41)
- Encouraging new master plan for Wakamow Valley Authority (39)
Some of residents’ top service delivery recommendations include (score in brackets):
- Developing a diversity, inclusion and equality strategy (43)
- Creating an urban forest management strategy (41)
- Regularly reviewing fees (40)
Some of residents’ top programming recommendations include (score in brackets):
- More drop-in options and spontaneous recreation activities (43)
- Fund user groups that support children and youths (41)
- More Yara Centre programming (39)
Council presentation
The department presented the final draft during the recent executive committee meeting, with city council approving a recommendation to adopt the document. The motion becomes official once approved during the Feb. 27 regular council meeting.
“This has been a very exciting project for the department and community. We are proud to present the final findings and our way forward here for the next 10 years … ,” said Derek Blais, director of parks and recreation.
The plan gives the department goals it can implement immediately, while there are some “quick wins” it can accomplish with internal resources during the next three years, he added. The benchmark feature is also important because it compares Moose Jaw’s amenities — ball diamonds, rinks, parks, etc. — with other communities’ venues.
John Buchko, a consultant with EDS Group, then spoke to council and summarized the plan’s findings.
“This parks and recreation master plan seeks to foster a system that allows all residents and visitors to both continue to be and become notoriously active however they wish to do so,” he said.
When asked how a cemetery master plan fits in, Buchko explained that it would look at inventory, demand and need for additional plots. Further, it would look at possibly incorporating burial practices for non-Western cultures and whether there is enough room to expand on existing sites.
“I think it’s an excellent report. It has 176 pages of a deep dive into our city and its possibilities,” said Coun. Crystal Froese. “(One thing) I really appreciated was the benchmark comparison to other cities, to hold us up side by side with amenities … . I think we’re doing really well in that area.”
Froese thought having the scoring of recommendations was important because it showed where the community was focused. She noted that residents also wanted more communications and public engagement opportunities.
Froese added that she agreed with adding “culture” to the parks and recreation department’s name because of all the activities happening here.
Mayor Clive Tolley agreed with the culture-name suggestion, pointing out the community has a great library, art gallery, and museum. He noted that he attended an event in February at the art gallery that looked at the Holocaust and residential schools and thought it was “fabulous.”
The next executive committee is Monday, Feb. 27.
