By Pepper Parr
June 14th, 2026
BURLINGTON, ON
Politically, it was a disaster. All kinds of procedural by-law issues resulted in the Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns walking out of a Council meeting.
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns
“Today, I excused myself from the June Committee of the Whole meeting following two agenda items affecting Ward 2 Residents being Closed for Debate.
“I asserted that I could not dispose of my obligation to represent the community on items related to Cricket at Central Park and Options to Restrict Construction without the procedural opportunity to state my voting rationale and complete my questions. Since this pattern emerged, I silently exited the Council Chambers for the balance of Committee and will resume with my work on behalf of the constituents I serve at Council on June 23rd, 2026.”
Setting the political drama aside – there is a problem with sufficient space for people to play cricket.
Staff at Recreation, Community and Culture had to know that there was a major change taking place in the demographic makeup of the city. More people want to play cricket. The games tend to last a long time, and at this point, there is just the one cricket pitch in the city. A second is scheduled for Sherwood Forest in 2029 at a cost that runs into the millions.
None of this was new. Our question is – why didn’t staff put together what was known and develop a policy that would manage the demographic changes taking place?
Kearns had a meeting with the people living along the border of Central Park, where the game is played on April 25th. It was not an easy meeting for the Council member and staff didn’t leave with gold stars.
They had legitimate complaints and they made their view very clear. The last comment made at the difficult meeting came from a resident who said to Kearns: “This one is on you.
Did Staff stick it to the Council member deliberately? No but staff didn’t have a plan in place that citizens could understand and accept.
Emilie Cote: Director Recreation, Community and Culture
Emilie Cote, Director Recreation, Community and Culture, is a young intelligent woman in a role that has had to handle a couple of awkward files.
The allocation of pool time should have been resolved within the department. Instead, it was given to the Procurement people who get tied up in procedural problems that are part of large dollar contracts. The pool use issue is nickels and dimes.
Cote has been given a lot of room to grow the department. The tin ear she has when it comes to the politics of situations is very evident. She should have taken the pool issue to a higher level – the Chief Administration Officer should have been consulted. That didn’t seem to happen.
There is space at City View Park that could accommodate a cricket pitch with next to nothing in residential areas anywhere near the site.
There was a very very short conversation with Cote at that xx meeting. She had little to say other than that the Sherwood Forest location would come on stream in 2029.
The cricket community has every reason to be upset and the residents who have to put up with the noise and the cricket balls landing in their back yards
The new dedicated cricket pitch and associated park upgrades at Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington are expected to be completed and ready for play by 2029. The total estimated budget for the park revitalization, which includes the cricket field with irrigation and lighting, is approximately $4.1 million. The city is expected to tender the park renewal project in late 2026, with major construction planned between 2027 and 2028, leading up to the target 2029 opening.
The west side of Sherwood Forest Park (5270 Fairview St) was selected as the only municipal site in Burlington that has enough space to host a full-size, regulation cricket field.
Sherwood Forest Park in the East End of Burlington.
Related news story:
Ward 2 Councillor gets a rough ride. Click HERE for the details
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Question how many registered Burlington cricket players and are there leagues today as compared to 5 years ago? Are there assumptions for growth now that
Canada has reduced immigration and is no longer seen by many as an attractive destination due to systemic affordability issues that will persist for a very long time.
I don’t think the city should be spending “invest” millions without facts. Do the facts exist or is or are conclusions being made on popular narratives.
Sure stuff something else at Sherwood Forest Park. Has any of the councillors been to see the parking?
Set aside, for a moment, the procedural chaos that saw Lisa Kearns walk out of a Council meeting. What remains is something far more consequential: a city that continues to react to change rather than plan for it.
Burlington is not short on opportunity. In fact, it may be one of the few municipalities with the natural framework to support two defining recreational anchors – one to the north, one to the south.
To the south, the city already benefits from the established draw of Spencer Smith Park and Beachway Park – vibrant, active, and central to Burlington’s identity.
To the north, City View Park was supposed to evolve into a complementary destination. Instead, it has become increasingly soccer-centric, anchored by a building that, to many observers, still lacks a clearly defined purpose.
That is a missed opportunity – and one that is becoming harder to justify.
Cricket is not a passing trend. It reflects a permanent demographic shift in the city, one that staff clearly understood but failed to translate into a coherent, proactive strategy. The result? Conflict at Central Park, frustrated residents, and a cricket community being told to wait until 2029 for relief.
2029 is not a plan. It is a delay.
City View Park offers something rare: space, separation from dense residential areas, and the potential to create a top-tier cricket facility without the friction now playing out in Ward 2. Rather than forcing the sport into locations that were never designed for it, Burlington could embrace the opportunity to do this properly – and position itself as a regional destination for cricket.
This is where the conversation needs to shift.
Instead of leaving this file to linger within Recreation, Community and Culture, it may be time to hand it to Burlington Economic Development and Tourism. This is not just a parks allocation issue – it is a city-building opportunity. Done right, a cricket facility at City View could attract tournaments, visitors, and investment, while relieving pressure on existing neighbourhood parks.
What is missing right now is not land, and it is not demand.
It is leadership.
Burlington has the chance to create balance – a southern waterfront anchor that defines its leisure identity, and a northern sports destination that reflects its future. Instead, it is managing conflict piecemeal, reacting to complaints, and deferring decisions.
The political drama at Council may dominate headlines. But the real story is simpler: a city that saw change coming, and still wasn’t ready for it.
That can still be corrected – but only if Burlington stops waiting for 2029 and starts acting like the city it is becoming.
I appreciate your cogent comments that I believe make complete sense in regards to using City View Park land for a cricket field with little or no impact to any neighbouring properties. I think the under-used soccer pitches there would stand out clearly when compared to the likely often-used cricket facility and make an obvious good choice for park land utilization.
Council needs to realize that Central Park is unsuitable for cricket in many ways, stop wasting time and dialogue trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and turn to a better field in a better place, which we have already. Please everybody.
“Cote has been given a lot of room to grow the department. The tin ear she has when it comes to the politics of situations is very evident.” Too evident. Not only did she not perform the expected duties of “the responsible program executive” relative to the whole pool time fiasco, she has demonstrated an absolute lack of “political acuity” with high profile issues like The Sound Of Music and FIFA. The newly crafted “cricket conundrum” is just the latest example of her complete lack of basic program management ability. I have reluctantly come to the opinion that many of the COB executive are mediocre at best. Ms. Côté may become competent in time but should probably be reduced in her responsibilities until she learns her craft.