It has been just over a year since I became the president with SPRA, and one of the reasons I took on this role was to continue building on my 30-year career as an advocate and ambassador of the parks and recreation industry. I had the chance to make progress on that personal goal last month at CPRA’s 2nd annual day on the hill.
L-R: Darcy McLeod (SPRA President), Helen Haworth (Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Director of Corporate Affairs), Todd Shafer (SPRA CEO), Jordan Burwash (PHE Canada, Director, Development), and Kevin Waugh (Conservative MP) sit together at the CPRA Advocacy on the Hill event.
It was both an honour and a privilege to represent you in Ottawa, alongside our CEO, Todd Shafer.
In these meetings with national policy and decision-makers, I had the opportunity to proudly be your voice and share what I have heard from you – the successes, the challenges and the continued need to advocate the critical role we play in creating healthy, vibrant, and resilient communities.
Each Member of Parliament (MP) we met with was welcoming and very receptive to our national recommendations, with the majority understanding that a further targeted investment in recreation infrastructure, recreation workforce development and physical activity was warranted.
One of those invaluable conversations was with my local MP, Kevin Waugh from Saskatoon-Grasslands. Kevin has a long history of community involvement, including having served on a variety of non-profit boards. This was a great foundation for our discussion on the critical issues facing our industry around infrastructure, employment and the importance of recreation spaces in our communities.
As Day on the Hill wrapped up, I know these decision-makers left with a better understanding of the industry and its collective impact. While I understand the challenges they face with future budgets and resource allocation leading into the 2025 budget, I am confident that investments in our industry offer a solid return on our quality of life, the economy and our wellbeing.
I look forward to continuing these conversations locally, as I connect with our newly appointed MLA’s here in Saskatchewan in the coming months.
