In the middle of an acre of grass that slopes down toward the outflow of the Fleet Street Pumping Station, sit three battered shipping containers the Ottawa River Runners call home.
The River Runners canoe club has produced numerous Canadian national team members and sent athletes to the past four summer Olympics.
But for the athletes training there and the youngsters who spend their summers there learning to paddle in white-water and right an overturned kayak, the eternally damp, musty containers are barely adequate.
Pleas for help from the city have been met with a sympathetic “no.”
Currently, Olympians and those learning how to paddle have to change outside wrapped in towels. If the weather is bad there’s an intricate tarp system they use for shelter.
And, for those living in the condominium buildings along the eastern edge of the LeBreton Flats that overlook the site, the squat, rusted, often graffiti covered containers are an eyesore.
The solution, an actual clubhouse where athletes could gather, change, work out and store equipment, is simple but currently out of reach for the not-for-profit organization.
It was reported in March that the club had won permission from the National Capital Commission to build a new clubhouse in 2010, but haven’t been able to break ground because of a lack of funds.
That’s despite having a healthy club that sees between 60 to 100 younsters a day during the summer months.
The cost of a new club and storage facility for boats is projected to be around $600,000. But the River Runners have only managed to scrounge about $100,000.
It’s time the city stepped in to make up the difference.
When you consider the cost of public works projects such as the footbridge over the airport parkway, currently projected to cost $4.7 million more than the original $6.5 million, or the $129-million investment to bring the CFL back to Ottawa in the form of a revitalized Lansdowne, $500,000 for a clubhouse that could become a community sports hub, isn’t all the much.
In the lead-up to this fall’s municipal elections Mayor Jim Watson said he was going to increase the investment in Ottawa’s “bid more, win more, host more” strategy.
Though not devoted exclusively to sport, the success of the scheme so far rests on winning bids for sporting events such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Canadian Figure Skating Championships.
Economic impact studies show that hosting events like these can flood a city with millions of dollars as tourists and competitors pour into the region.
But, according to a 2012 position paper examining the impact of major sporting events on sport participation from the University of Toronto, there is scant evidence to show that hosting major sporting events has a lasting impact on sport participation in host communities.
There’s more to investing in sport than the potential economic impact of major events.
Participation in sports at all ages is declining, and the number of overweight and obese youth and adults, and the myriad of related health risks, is climbing.
Data from Statistics Canada’s 2013 Canadian Community Health Survey shows roughly 20 per cent of Canadian younsters aged 12 to 17 are classified as overweight or obese.
Federal health guidelines say young people aged five to 17 should accumulate about an hour of physical activity a day. Currently, only seven per cent meet that requirement.
Of course, there are a number of barriers to getting kids active in sport. Obstacles such as household income, time constraints, family structure, and parents’ view of the value of sport, all play a role.
But underpinning many of these is the availability of safe, affordable, local facilities.
It would seem the solution is to invest in infrastructure designed for locals to actually use, not simply watch professional athletes play in.
The River Runners need a clubhouse.
Building it obviously won’t have the economic impact the Lansdowne development has had, but if you look at the number of younsters that will pass through its doors every summer to have fun while learning about being active and staying healthy, it seems like a no-brainer for the city to step in.