FARE: Affordable Access
Inclusion policy can be corporate-wide or specific to recreation services. The latter focuses on the topics addressed in the Framework: • Affordable access (discussed above) • Enabling people of all ages to participate in recreation • Actively engaging persons of diverse and racialized backgrounds in developing, leading, and evaluating recreation and park activities • Working with Indigenous communities in pursuit of all five goals in the Framework for Recreation in Canada 2015 • Applying a gender equity lens when developing and monitoring policies, programs, and practices to facilitate full participation of women and girls in all types of recreation • Ensuring non-discrimination of, and providing a welcoming and safe environment for, people of all sexual orientations and sexual identities • Working with persons with disabilities
The Town’s Fee Assisted Recreation Experiences (FARE) program will ensure continued equity in service provision. Available information includes a welcome letter and an application form, which notes the program is funded by community fundraised dollars. To provide a guaranteed source of funding, the Town should supplement the fundraised portion by allocating an annual budget to FARE. Existing criteria for eligibility and evaluation can be applied to this ‘combined’ allowance. Opportunities to provide fully subsidized, no-cost services that are open to all in the community should also be further investigated. In this way, the potential stigma of needing assistance and/or reluctance to apply is removed. A policy that sets out the Town’s purpose and approach to affordable access would be beneficial, particularly if it is envisioned as part of an inclusion policy.
Inclusion
Parks and Recreation Ontario’s audit of the 2015 Framework for Recreation in Canada 5 references several policy areas for consideration by municipalities. These encompass the need to address concerns regarding affordability, diversity, and inclusion. While attention may be paid in practice to some or all of these concerns, interest in documented policy is becoming more apparent in Ontario municipalities.
to facilitate their full participation in recreation across all settings by removing physical and emotional barriers
This policy would look to build on legislated requirements of the AODA. It could also be used to link efforts on inclusion that the Town pursues in the areas of facilities and programs.
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https://www.prontario.org/public/policy/ Framework%20Audit%20Tool%20V%201.pdf
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Town of Tillsonburg | DRAFT Parks and Recreation Master Plan
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