Comments Off

By rebecca, January 14, 2008 8:46 pm

I’ve expressed my dismay over the costs of recreating at Toronto’s community centres before. I was especially irked, then, when a little bird (thanks Ange) tipped me off about Parks and Rec’s proposed fees increase. Link here for the details, but the gist is that the cost of all Parks and Rec programs will increase by 20% over the next year, and 66% after seven years. It has been dubbed the “Everyone gets to play” policy because part of those fee increases will be used to provide free programming for those who can demonstrate a financial need. Still, I don’t like it.

People like me, for one, will neither qualify for the free programs, nor be able to easily afford the increased fees. I worry, too, that many people who would make use of universally free programs will not bother applying for a free spot. And even the people who are readily able to afford the extra expense will have to wonder whether their money might be better spent at a private gym or on classes held elsewhere.

There’s a bigger point here, too. As my husband writes on behalf of the Eye Weekly editorial board, the value of Community Centres and other Parks and Rec programs is that they are universal and publicly funded. As a society, we are demonstrating that athletics and recreation are important for people of all ages and all walks of life. Like public libraries, and public schools and public parks, community centre programs should be as close to free as possible. Public services that are run on user fees should be geared toward the sort of thing that we want to discourage, like excessive water use or non-recyclable trash. (This is not always the case, unfortunately.) Even when the public purse is near bankrupt, and even in the face of school closures, you will never hear talk of instituting a tuition for public school children. This is the principle our community centres should run on. Pare down programs, sacrifice operating hours, if you must, but do not under any circumstances keep raising fees. Do not price the public out of a publicly run service.

For more info, check out an interview with city councilor Joe Mihevc on the Spacing Wire.

There will be two public meetings where residents can raise questions and concerns:

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Elmbank Community Centre (10 Rampart Rd.)
Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne St.)

Thursday, January 17, 2008 from 7 to 9 p.m.
North York Civic Centre Council Chambers (5100 Yonge St.)
Scarborough Civic Centre Committee Rooms 1 and 2 (150 Borough Dr.)

(Image courtesy of turbosquid.com.)

Comments Off

By rebecca, January 10, 2008 12:58 am

I had hoped that I could throw together a recommended family events page, but I cannot. Compiling listings and publishing accurate information is a much bigger job than I realized. Instead, let me reference a few well-established Toronto-area family events pages and then I’ll just blog about stuff I like as I come across it.

First, Today’s Parent has an excellent Toronto events directory you can pick up at community centres and libraries, those kinds of places, or just link here. You can also check out toronto.com’s family guide, KiddingAroundToronto.com, or Everything To Do With Kids.

Comments Off

By rebecca, January 9, 2008 7:27 pm

We’re well into the New Year, but I can’t quite seem to shake the holiday haze. Despite having had a good week to settle back into our routine, everyone’s sleep schedule is still off kilter and many of Colum’s programs are still between sessions. The result: a very happy and easily adjustable toddler and a frazzled mom. The truth really is that as long as he gets enough food, sleep and attention, Colum’s good to go. Having fallen behind in house work and finances and my writing projects (like this blog for one), I’ve completely lost focus and direction and am running around like some headless fowl. I know I’m not the only one. Here’s a good account of how getting back to a simple routine can make a harried mom happy.

I have three partially written blog drafts on my desktop, two versions of my resume half done, and scraps of paper with bits of prose scattered everywhere. I keep doing three quarter of the dishes, so my kitchen is never clean, and leaving heaps of clean yet crumpled clothes lying about. And the toys! Trying to sort out which toys Colum’s outgrown from those he still plays with and deciding what’s worth keeping and what to toss is a nightmare! Nobody told me that parenting meant so much sifting and sorting of toys and clothes and gadgets. And heaven forbid Colum should ever catch me trying to pack away an old rattle or push toy; it instantly becomes his most favoured possession and I lose all faith in my toy-sorting criteria.

So I’m taking a couple days to re-schedule my hours and I hope to find a few extra per week for work that doesn’t involve wiping jam off every available surface. Here’s to a happier new year in the coming weeks.