MINUTES — PUBLIC – RECREATION, SPORTS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

4. Public question period

Laurent de Crombrugghe has been a spokesperson for pétanque organizations in Gatineau for ten years. The members received his presentation document before the session. His address aims to follow up on a request for a meeting with the management of the Service des loisirs, des sports et du développement communautaire (SLSDC) to discuss:

1. The relocation of the boulodrome (pétanque court);
2. The status of the request made on December 15, 2023, to the Commission to include the rue Berri boulodrome in the Plan directeur des infrastructures récréatives, sportives et communautaires (Master Plan for Recreational, Sports, and Community Infrastructure).

The absence of the boulodrome in the Master Plan constitutes, according to him, a significant prejudice to the development of pétanque in the heart of the 4th largest city in the province of Quebec. Winter pétanque must cease to be a "ghost sport" in Gatineau; new infrastructure is necessary. The government of Quebec has recognized pétanque as a sport. Gatineau is a nursery for people who excel in this sport and have become champions.

Edmond Leclerc joins the meeting at 3:13 p.m.

The management of the SLSDC points out to Mr. de Crombrugghe that a meeting with them will take place, notably to address all the ins and outs of the issue of integrating the boulodrome into the Master Plan. This document is evolving; all needs must be examined. The nuance between the recognition of a sport and the off-season recreational activity component is recalled. Multi-use facilities pose a great challenge during their upgrading or compliance, namely that of ensuring versatile practice of as many disciplines as possible throughout the seasons.

Mr. de Crombrugghe wishes for an in-person meeting as well as real collaborative work. He hopes this meeting will help clarify how their associations can be active partners in the project. The management of the SLSDC reiterates that it is committed to planning this meeting in the coming weeks and to following up with the Commission at the next session. A copy of Mr. de Crombrugghe's address is filed with the secretary of the session.

6. Presentation on the evaluation of the outdoor skating rink deployment plan

The document Évaluation du plan de déploiement des patinoires extérieures (Evaluation of the outdoor skating rink deployment plan) is presented to the members. This document was sent to them before the session. The objective of the presentation is to inform about: the 2023-2024 season report and the evaluation process of the outdoor skating rink deployment plan.

The presentation is broken down into the following sub-themes: • Presentation objectives; • Context; • Presentation plan; • 2023-2024 season report; • Evaluation process.

In 2023, the SLSDC committed to conducting an analysis of the outdoor skating rink service offer in line with the recommendations of the Plan directeur des infrastructures récréatives, sportives et communautaires as well as to carry out a revision of the outdoor skating rink service offer and to present everything to the Commission for the 2025-2026 season. During the same year, the municipal council accepted the proposed modifications to the Programme de soutien aux patinoires extérieures (Outdoor Skating Rink Support Program) as well as the extension of the analysis and revision period of the Outdoor Skating Rink Deployment Plan until 2024, and the financial support to organizations proposed by the SLSDC.

2023-2024 season report

The outdoor skating rink deployment plan consists of: • 82 ice surfaces across the territory; • A budget of $902,722 for the year 2023; • Financial support offered to 24 community organizations; • 2 contracts with entrepreneurs for rink maintenance; • 10 premises made available to the public to put on skates; • Two sites offering equipment loans to the public; • 8 occasional human resources (park supervisors).

The City offers various types of rinks: general public; with or without boards; neighborhood; community; rings and paths. The layout and preparation of the rinks require favorable weather conditions. The season ended on February 28, 2024, due to effects attributed to climate change (little snow cover, fluctuation and milder temperatures, etc.). The opening period was shorter than in previous years; an average of 13.1 opening days for neighborhood rinks, and 11.7 days for those maintained by entrepreneurs.

Summary of comments, questions, or answers formulated following the presentation regarding, among other things: • A question was asked about the criteria used to distinguish between maintenance performed by the City, a community organization, or a private company. It is mentioned that the maintenance of neighborhood/local rinks on City-owned land is delegated to community organizations. The maintenance of the majority of the City's rinks is contracted out to companies. • Various factors have an impact on the number of days rinks are open (number and participation of volunteers; shaded, sunny location or in a parking lot influencing the quality of the ice surface; temperature variation; usage; etc.). • The maintenance costs of the ruisseau de la Brasserie rink are explained in particular by the price of the specialized equipment required as well as the greater complexity of obtaining an ice surface on a watercourse. As for neighborhood rinks, the sums represent the net costs for the City; they do not account for the time and work of volunteers (layout and preparation in addition to maintenance). • The Circonflexe project is under development at Loisir sport Outaouais. It involves lending equipment to less affluent people. There is a desire to establish collaborative links to promote accessibility to equipment. • It is noted that community organizations receive small grants for rink maintenance ($3,500 per rink). A question was asked about when these grants will be increased. • With a view to optimizing the sums spent for each rink, clarifications are requested on: the contracts given to entrepreneurs (is it a lump sum or paid according to the work performed?); the average number of people using each of the rinks. It is mentioned that data from previous years could be shared.

Evaluation process of the outdoor skating rink deployment plan

The objective of the evaluation process is to produce a deployment plan that is: innovative (better adapted to climatic realities); equitable (infrastructure better distributed across the territory); efficient (better use of public funds); versatile (meeting the needs of users and non-users).

The steps completed to date are: • Administrative revision of the Programme de soutien aux patinoires de proximité (Local Skating Rink Support Program); • Pre-consultations with organizations and internal employees; • Developing an evaluation process for the rink deployment plan; • Creation of a steering committee; • Call for tenders for the hiring of a consultant; • Presentation of the process to the Commission des loisirs, des sports et du développement communautaire.

Preliminary interviews identified about fifty issues which were classified into six categories: • Administrative (everything related to City processes); • Communication (Communication means and tools); • Service offer (Problems experienced and perceived by people); • Maintenance (Issues affecting the operations component); • Financial; • Impact of climate change.

The evaluation is subdivided into three components:

1. Continue the revision of the Programme de soutien aux patinoires de proximité;
2. Revision of the rink deployment plan and all associated processes;
3. Revision of the rink deployment plan in a global approach of service offer adaptive to climatic reality.

The next steps are mainly: hiring a consultant; holding internal and public consultations; filing and processing requests for the Programme de soutien aux patinoires de proximité; implementation of pilot projects. The adoption of the new outdoor skating rink deployment plan at the municipal council is scheduled for spring 2025.

Summary of comments, questions, or answers formulated following the presentation regarding, among other things: • Has an assessment of the losses incurred been made for this year? There is no loss. Climate change prevented the rinks from opening. This is an expense of approximately $200,000 per year. It is necessary to establish what the desired and deliverable service offer amounts to. • Has the public been consulted? Will the opinions expressed be taken into consideration in the development of the criteria? Could an ADS+ (Gender-based analysis plus) approach be used to better understand why citizens do not use this service? No trend has been observed. It seems that expectations have decreased; people know the effects of climate change. Consultations will be broadened beyond users. • Is funding granted only for maintenance or does it include animation activities? Few organizations submit requests and the amounts offered are minimal. There are therefore limits to what organizations can do. Component 3 of the evaluation will allow for reflection on ways to adapt the outdoor offer in parks in order to take advantage of new climatic realities. Historically, the offer relied on rinks, but this could open up to new things for winter activities. • Regarding the requests received in May, it is assured that there will be no changes to the criteria or rules during the process. The status quo will therefore be maintained for the analysis of requests. The goal is to make progressive adjustments and advances. • It is suggested to analyze a scenario based on the installation of refrigerated rinks at strategic locations in the territory. • People are looking for experiences and perhaps a little less proximity. It would be necessary to consult people, including young people, in order to truly meet their needs. We should think about reducing the number of rinks, centralizing more, developing animation on the sites, and publicizing everything with the goal of ensuring great family experiences.

7. Presentation to agree on the scope of a strategy to support volunteer action

The document Stratégie municipale de soutien à l’action bénévole (Municipal strategy to support volunteer action) is presented to the members. This document was sent to them before the session. The objective of the presentation is to report on the progress of the file as well as to recommend a municipal strategy to support volunteer action.

The presentation is broken down into the following sub-themes: • Presentation objective; • Presentation plan; • Context; • Steps taken; • Strategy anchors; • Presentation of the strategy; • Recommendation.

A reminder is made regarding previous work on this subject. Two steps have been completed, including: the identification of the objectives of the municipal intervention strategy in support of volunteer action, and the drafting and filing of a consultation report produced by Loisir sport Outaouais. The current steps are those of drafting a proposed intervention strategy and recommending it for implementation.

The orientations of the strategy are: to encourage and support the engagement of Gatineau residents; to ensure a quality volunteer experience in relations with the City; to adapt municipal support programs to the challenges of volunteer action.

The strategy is structured around three implementation phases: Phase 1: Consolidate support and operations at the SLSDC; Phase 2: Continue consolidation and begin a focus on volunteer organizations with the various services; Phase 3: Continue consolidation, the focus on volunteer organizations with the various services, and broaden the focus on citizen engagement and partnership.

Edmond Leclerc leaves the room at 4:42 p.m. He remains present virtually.

At the end of each phase, a presentation to the Commission is planned to report on the progress of the strategy and the evaluation of its impacts. Work is planned with various services during the phases to promote internal engagement towards volunteer action as well as its recognition. The wish is to develop a strategy whose implementation is realistic. The contribution of Loisir sport Outaouais to the development of this strategy is highlighted.

Summary of comments, questions, or answers formulated following the presentations regarding, among other things: • A question was asked about why a recommendation to the municipal council is required at this time. It is explained that Phase 1 contains elements that can be done at the SLSDC level and that do not require a budget adjustment. Phase 2 may require a budget adjustment since it contains larger-scale actions; this could justify a recommendation to the municipal council. • The importance of aligning the work related to the strategy with that of the working committee on citizen participation is highlighted. It is mentioned that working by phase will allow for alignment with other ongoing strategies and to correct the course if necessary. Links are ensured with the Service de l’interaction citoyenne on various files, including the planned consultation process on Le cadre de référence en matière de participation des citoyens aux affaires municipales (Reference framework for citizen participation in municipal affairs). A presentation to the elected officials is planned on the new support program for residents' associations which also encourage citizen participation. • In response to the question of whether a census of actions will be done, it is indicated that the report produced by Loisir sport Outaouais contains a review of the actions currently taken by the municipality regarding volunteer action. Phase 1 will allow for understanding the impact of these actions and prioritizing them. A copy of the report can be sent to the members of the Commission. • A popularization of the strategy accompanied by a diversification of communication means should be done to reach citizens and demystify certain things that may seem complicated from the outside. The inclusion of ADS+ could allow reaching the greatest possible diversity. It is noted that the Plan d’action intégré 2022-2026 - Familles, aînés et personnes handicapées (Integrated Action Plan 2022-2026 - Families, Seniors and People with Disabilities) already contains actions planned in this direction over the coming years. The goal is to communicate information that is as accessible as possible for everyone. • An implementation of the strategy in three phases is considered interesting. The lack of training in the management and governance of organizations is often at the root of problems experienced in relation to the recruitment and retention of volunteers. • Which organizations are referred to when talking about volunteer action and municipal support? It is indicated that the strategy targets the 294 organizations that currently receive support from the City. These are organizations such as: Unigym, Natation Gatineau, aid organizations at the seniors' leisure center, residents' associations, neighborhood or youth centers, etc.

At the end of the presentation and exchanges, the members agree to adopt the following recommendation:

CLSDC-2024-02 That the Commission des loisirs, des sports et du développement communautaire recommends to the municipal council: • to accept the implementation of Phase 1 of the municipal strategy to support volunteer action; • to mandate the Services to return to the commission to present the results of the actions of this phase and see to the continuation of the strategy.

It is proposed by Benjamin Dumont Seconded by Armande Obrou Recommended