Recreation groups unite, seek answers

By DOUGLAS GLYNN Midland Free Press December 6, 2012

PERKINSFIELD — Tiny Township’s recreation associations have formed an alliance in a bid to get answers about their future.

They have asked township staff to meet today or next Thursday to provide an explanation of the new governance model the township wants to put in place when their memorandum of understanding ends next month.

Council has given the six associations 90 days’ notice it is cancelling the two-year old memorandum of understanding.

The associations, incorporated in 1987, operate the township’s sport and recreation facilities. Association volunteers provide a wide variety of sports, recreation and cultural programs.

The memorandum of understanding was signed in March 2010. The decision to cancel it was made at an in-camera meeting Oct. 29 that dealt with a confidential staff report.

An email sent to the associations the following day explained that the township’s legal and insurance advisors said the memorandum created “unacceptable risk levels from a corporate and personal liability perspective for all parties, including the associations and their board members.”

Township staff have since met with some individual associations, but Cindy Hastings of the Wyevale Park and Recreation Association says the associations “have received conflicting messages as to what may or may not be up for negotiation.

“We’re upset about how this all came about,” she said following a meeting of five of the associations last week in Lafontaine.

“We really want to get more information before we take any further action. I am hopeful the township will do the right thing and work with us to ensure that residents continue to enjoy the parks the way they always have,”?Hastings said.

“We’re not sure what the future of our local rinks will be if the associations or township cannot find volunteers to work under the new policy. The associations have been responsible in the past for flooding the rink and clearing snow.

“It will be a sad day for both the volunteers and communities if we can’t come to an agreement,” she said.

“We have received conflicting messages as to what may or may not be up for negotiation. We understand that any activities that put ourselves or the township at risk are non-negotiable but we need to be clear as to what these are.”

In an email to the township requesting the meeting, Hastings wrote:

“Our primary concern is ensuring that we can continue to offer quality programs at a reasonable cost and that there will be no disruption in the services or park amenities our residents currently enjoy.

“To ensure this continues, we would like some clarification on a few items including, but not limited to, the feasibility of no rental fees for children’s sports and local groups, priority ball diamond scheduling for minor ball, minor diamond maintenance, storage of program equipment, access to keys, booth operation, special events, insurance coverage and training for volunteers.

“We are also not clear as to how the rink maintenance is to be handled this year if we do not have the volunteers to manage it under the new policy.”

The email asks township staff to meet with the associations and answer some questions “so there is no further miscommunication.

“This meeting,” it adds, “is not intended to be a platform for venting frustrations, but an opportunity to provide the framework for more productive individual association meetings.”

Hastings has filed a request for a copy of the confidential report under the Municipal Freedom of Information (FOI) and Protection of Privacy Act.

Meantime, Mayor Ray Millar introduced a motion at council’s committee of the whole meeting Nov. 26 to make the report public. His motion was supported by Deputy Mayor George Lawrence and Councillors Nigel Warren and Gib Wishart in a 4-0 vote. But that night when it came up for a final vote, it was defeated 3-1, with Lawrence, Warren and Wishart opposing it. Coun. André Claire was not at either meeting.

The township has 30 days to respond to the FOI request. If it refuses to release the report, she plans to appeal the decision to Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner.

The memorandum of understanding can be found on the township’s website.