Whether you’re rounding bases or passing pucks, participating in recreational sports in Ottawa is getting more expensive.
The city’s 2009 budget, passed in December, included an almost eight-per-cent increase in rental fees for all recreational facilities across the city, including hockey rinks, swimming pools and baseball diamonds.
This increase seems like barely a nudge, however, when compared to the full body-check the city had originally planned to deliver to sport in Ottawa this year.
The budget draft proposal, submitted in November, originally proposed a 51-per-cent hike in rental fees for minor hockey arenas, a 153-per-cent increase in pool rental fees, and a 35-per-cent jump in gym and hall rental fees.
The city also planned to pull funding for 230 outdoor rinks where kids and adults alike could gather for a quick game of pick-up hockey.
Council members argued that the changes were necessary to keep up with the rising cost of maintaining the facilities.
Thankfully, public uproar and an online petition signed by more than 6,000 people was enough to convince the city to scrap those options.
But the battle is far from over. These price increases and prospective cuts are symptomatic of a much larger issue.
Parks and Recreation takes up only about four per cent of Ottawa’s annual municipal budget, but it’s almost always the place that takes a huge hit when it’s time to slice and dice programs and services, or to raise fees.
According to the city’s official website, Ottawa residents are currently charged an average $100 per household in recreational fees, compared with just $37 per household in Toronto.
This seems particularly absurd when you consider that the provincial government is currently pouring $5 million a year into Active 2010, an initiative designed to get people more physically active.
Many people find that organized sports are an easy way to shed extra pounds and feel generally healthier. A fun game of hockey goes by a lot faster than an hour on an elliptical trainer in the gym.
But as league registration fees increase to keep pace with rising municipal rental charges, the cost of joining a recreational team may soon be enough to convince people to stay home on the couch instead.
Some organizations have seen the writing on the wall, and have already gone in search of additional corporate sponsors and advertisers to help offset the ever-rising costs.
Leo Tardioli, president of the Ottawa-Nepean slo-pitch league, says registration could go down as people are forced to dig deeper into their wallets. The league currently boasts more than 2,000 members who play throughout the spring and summer at baseball diamonds across the city.
These are tough economic times and cities across Canada are struggling to fund necessary services.
But what we need to remember is that recreational services are important for building a strong and healthy community, and should be protected.
Trimming the fat off the municipal budget shouldn’t make it harder for Ottawa residents to trim the fat off their waistlines.