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Recreation waitlists expected to grow to 400,000 if nothing is done

15 November 2017

Toronto waitlists for Recreation programs expected to grow to 400,000 if nothing is done. Help us push for expanding programs across the City.

A new report going before the City’s Community Development and Recreation Committee (CDRC) this Monday shows that waitlists for recreation programs have grown by by 74% over the last three years to 198,236. A previous staff report states that if nothing is done the waitlist will grow to 400,000 by 2025.

The City Staff report puts forward a plan to add 60,000 new spaces in programs over the next three years in existing facilities in order to stem the growth and a plan to expand recreation facilities over the next 20 years was past a month ago by City Council. 

It’s unclear whether these plans will expand service fast enough to reverse the trend for this generation of kids and youth who make up the majority of the waitlist.

It’s also unclear whether even these recommended expansions of service will be funded in the 2018 budget, which Council has already directed to be flat-lined.

We need stories and deputations that help Councillors and the Mayor understand the importance of recreation in our communities, for our families, and how being on stuck on waitlists instead of in programs impacts our lives.  

If you have stories or questions that can help, contact Katrina Miller at Kmiller@cupelocal79.org 647-272-5024.