community centres – Rebecca Cuneo Keenan

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.)

Bye Bye Baby

Colum turned 18 months yesterday and, it’s official, I no longer have a baby. Looking at him today, I can clearly see that any residual baby-ness is just that — residue. His ultra-fine wispy hair will need a cut soon enough. His chubby cheeks are going the way of those chunky knee folds and elbow dimples. The occasional AM breastfeed is on it’s way out, and diapers have given way to training pants.

There’s not much chance for reminiscing when you’re chasing a toddler all over the place, though. And the present is so brimming with delight, I’m happy to have come this far. When you have a baby time slows way, way down. But those endless days (and nights) filled with feeding and burping and rocking and feeding… eventually speed up. By the time we hit the one year mark, we were pretty much in sync with the rest of the world. I’m glad, then, to spend so much of this fleeting time with Colum. He takes living in the moment to whole new levels. We spent all of breakfast this morning talking about Kindertots at the local community centre. We remembered they have cars there and a boy and kids and slides. We were excited to be going there as we got on our shoes and coat. Fast forward 5 minutes: I’m pushing Colum down the street in a stroller and ask, “Where are we going?” “A walk!” he answers. And I smile. That’s right. We’re going for a walk — he never lets me miss out on the journey and I love him for it.

But speaking of Kindertots, our community centres need funding! I paid $50 for 9 weeks of a program that consists of letting kids romp around a gym with lots of great toys and an optional craft table. The Parks and Rec guide said there’d be a snack, but there’s not. The session lasts for 1 1/2 hours including the really sad circle time at the end that we can never sit through. I waffle between being bitter for having paid way too much for a lot of nothing and being glad that we’re there because Colum really does have fun. The thing is that programs like this are truly valuable. I like the huge chunk of unstructured playtime. I like the well-meaning Parks and Rec lady (who I swear has been working at every community centre I’ve ever been to and doesn’t ever age). I like that it’s not really a big deal, but it should be priced accordingly. Community centres should be good, affordable resources and a point of pride for any civilized society. The City of Toronto just passed a new Land Transfer Tax that should help keep the current level of service stay afloat, but we need to infuse more money and more life into these Parks and Rec programs. Because if I can’t afford the programs at the community centre something is seriously wrong.