Live and Play Plan is now ready

By Staff

June 18th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

The City of Burlington’s Live and Play Plan is now ready.

Staff will new begin preparing an implementation plan to present to Council in the Fall.

The Live and Play Plan will guide recreational and city-operated cultural facility decisions over the next 20 to 30 years and will ensure that Burlington continues to provide a range recreational and cultural choices that engage residents. It also works to ensure that the city grows as an environmentally sustainable, vibrant and economically strong community with ties to the Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan, Climate Resilient Burlington and the Vision to Focus 2022-2026.

The plan and more information can be found at burlington.ca/liveplayplan.

The Live and Play Plan replaces the current Parks, Recreation and Cultural Assets Master Plan (PRCAMP) for recreational and cultural space needs. The current plan was approved in 2009.

Key Recommendations

It is important to note this plan only provides recommendations. It does not provide a plan, budget or timeline for implementation and does not impact culture boards. Key recommendations include:

·        Revisiting the Sherwood Forest Park Revitalization Plan

·        Re-imagining Central Park

·        Urban parks and spaces

·        Climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability

·        Upgrading and new park washrooms

·        Meeting emerging recreational needs like pickleball and cricket

·        Creating flexible and adaptable spaces to meet a varying number of recreational needs

Public Consultation on the Live and Play Plan

Staff and consultants worked to engage with many sport user groups, cultural groups, community groups, community partners and individuals. The consultants also attended the Food for Feedback and Appleby Line Street Festival events.

Each group was contacted through their leadership team and were invited to complete an online survey and participate in group workshops.

The initial online survey and ability to provide feedback on draft plan recommendations were available for the community at different times throughout the planning process.

City staff and elected officials were also a part of the consultation process.

When the report was presented to Council there was just the one delegation; an unfortunate presentation from the consultants.

The plan is a lengthy 158 page report with some very useful data.  The Gazette will, over a couple of weeks set out what the report had to recommend and what can be expected in the decades ahead.  The presentation of this report is something the public missed hearing and being in a position to delegate to council.

Emilie Cote: Director of Recreation, Community and Culture

Emilie Cote, Director, Recreation, Community and Culture said:  “This is a significant plan with many recommendations on how we could build and upgrade recreational and city-operated cultural facilities over the next decade to meet the demand of our growing and changing city. This plan presents a guideline for future projects. The next key tasks are deciding what we can do and when.”