On Friday, September 26 I had the pleasure of attending the Ontario Parks Association Educational Forum as a tradeshow vendor. It was truly a pleasure to talk to municipal employees about how Gaia College can educate their young employees on sustainable land care practices to enable cities to be more resilient to climate events and to our changing climate and forward thinking when planning parks and recreation. 

One presentation was delivered by two people from two different conservation authorities in the province. Words like conservation, biodiversity, and climate change were dispersed throughout their presentation. It was incredibly uplifting to learn that conservation authorities are incorporating these ideas into their plans. But further conversations suggested that this may not be the norm among municipalities. 

One conversation led to the question - what is missing from municipal parks? They have playgrounds, sports fields, paved pathways, green spaces - clearly something for everyone. But not something for every thing. When I look at the parks in my area, some were designed with play or activities in mind (sports fields, playgrounds, sliding hills, etc.) while others were designed with nature in mind - stormwater management ponds, plants that attract waterfowl, native plants alongside, and paved pathways for ease of access. What if we combined them? What if we installed  a native plant garden off to the side of the sports field with a bench to sit on when the park is quiet; or placed a playground next to the stormwater pond. What other benefits could we garner from these greenspaces? 

Ontario municipalities are on their way to better parks. Long gone are the days of just a playground or a soccer field. There are many new ideas showing up in recent years and incorporating all these ideas into one single space is a challenge. Additionally, updating parks takes time and resources. I only hope that the long term vision is expansive and inclusive - how many living things can benefit from this greenspace?