Presentation to AMO Economic Development Task Force “The Return on the Recreation Investment” Howie Dayton, Director Recreation City of Mississauga Presentation Date: September 13, 2013

Soft Service you Say?  Recreation is a major contributor to community health and wellbeing  There is an excellent return on local investment  Soft service or an “Essential Municipal Services supporting Quality of Place”  Focus of presentation: o How does Recreation contribute to achieving a desirable community? o City of Mississauga –using business planning principles to support social capital investments o The sector’s evolution – using evidence based research to plan and deliver services efficiently and effectively o The return on your investment= community engagement; active citizens, healthier and more sustainable communities

City of Mississauga: A Place where People choose to be  Mississauga-an urbanizing community in transition  Aspires to be a “Place Where People Choose To Be”  Dynamic & beautiful global city for creativity and innovation  Vibrant, safe & connected communities  Celebration of a rich diversity of cultures  Focus on the following Priorities:  Transit oriented city  Engaged Youth  Active Older Adults  Thriving newer Canadians  Cultivating creative and innovative businesses  Developing and sustaining livable communities

City of Mississauga: A Place where People choose to be  Action Plans must align and report on annual achievements in each priority area  Convincing elected officials to support strategic initiatives that advance social capital priorities uses current research and thinking  Organizationally, Community services department-specifically Recreation Services takes the lead for many Quality of Place priorities  Older Adult and Youth Plan/Sport Tourism Plan/Future Directions Recreation Master Plan….

Recreation & Resilience-Sherri Torjman, Caledon Institute on Social Policy (2011 National Recreation Summit-Keynote Address)  greater recognition of this quality of place concept  communities must pay attention to lifestyle and cultural vibrancy to attract investment & talent  vibrant downtowns, streetscapes and urban context mixed with family-friendly communities & amenities  arts & culture, festivals & events build spirit and volunteerism  passive infrastructure (trails & green space)

Gina Browne – Preventative Service Framework  Quality of Place requires Social Capital investments  Engaging marginalized communities supports quality of life priorities  Social isolation leads to negative attitudes and community disengagement  Higher crime & delinquency  Higher and sustained use of social assistance  Higher obesity rates  More expensive interventions  Economic benefit of investing in subsidized prevention services demonstrated o When The Bough Breaks, Making the Case for Youth Recreation, Roots of Youth Violence  Policy Framework for Affordable Access to Recreation For Ontarians Published-local momentum continues

The City of Mississauga – Strategic Community Investments  2009 Active Assist Policy Approved-8000 individuals and families supported to date  Corporate Sponsorship and Grant team established with $1.2M in local investment in community recreation, sport, arts& culture  Program Sponsorship has helped to launch universal programs including: o Wal-mart at Play-11 community centres-free after school sports o Enersource Got Skates-9,724 children-nine arenas-learning to skate  Future priorities will focus on core services and demographic shifts: o Summer Playgrounds Revival o Youth Leadership o Inclusion Services o Learn-to-swim o Active Aging

Don Drummond, TD Bank’s former chief economist: Charting a Path to Sustainable Health Care in Ontario (2010) “Preventing illness and promoting healthy living would almost certainly form a cornerstone of a holistic strategy… Ultimately, the most effective way of lowering costs in the health care system will be to ensure that fewer people are in need of expensive care.”

Recreation is more than swimming & hockey…  Recreation’s mandate has evolved  Parks & Recreation Ontario is providing leadership to the sector to ensure we are well positioned for the future  PRO is mandated to work with the 3 levels of government on shared priorities  Structures within municipalities is changing to reflect changing community context  City of Mississauga’s Community Services Department: Fire, Recreation, Libraries, Parks & Forestry, Culture

Final Thoughts: Recreation is Good Economic Policy: What Ontarians Say  98% of Ontarians believe that recreation and parks are essential services that benefit their entire community  97% of Ontario households use local Parks  77% agree that recreation reduces crime and vandalism (2009 Parks and Recreation Ontario Public Opinion Survey)

The Future…. Aging infrastructure Intensification and the lack of development charge funding to support service needs Aging population Affordability and pressure to recover greater costs Private and public sector role needs definition in the delivery of core recreation Inclusiveness & diversity Technology & social media platforms