What gets plans off the shelf? : a multi-site case study of the factors influencing municipal recreation plan implementation

Municipalities that engage in recreation planning have the potential to use their resources more effectively. However, successful planning means getting the plan off the shelf and implemented. This study investigated the factors that influenced municipal recreation plan implementation in three municipalities. Interviews were conducted with eleven key informants (recreation directors, planning consultants, a city councillor, and members of plan steering committees). The findings of this study suggested that because the implementation of recreation plans occurs in a highly political environment, recreation professionals will need effective strategies to get their plans implemented and that implementation can be facilitated by developing or expanding strategies that: (l) build the power of the recreation department within the municipal government structure; (2) build support for recreation within the local community; and (3) build the political and organizational capacity in the recreation department.

Active living in municipal parks and recreation : a case study

If quality of life is an important recreation outcome, then municipal parks and recreation management's efforts have to change because:· Over one-third of all the little kids in schools will be diabetic in their lifetime if the trends we are looking at continue. The average loss of life is about 15 years, and there is an average reduction in quality oflife by about 20 years (Jackson, 2007). This thesis is about municipal parks and recreation, an agency that controls and limits physical activity opportunity. It is also about active living; from an ecological perspective, a multi-disciplinary approach to incorporate physical activity into more 111 people's daily lives. In particular, this thesis examines one case --'. the Donutville Case - . with the intent of providing an explanation of how municipal parks and recreation can advance its management efforts to improve health outcomes of people suffering from daily physical activity deficits. More specifically, how can the tension between external and internal environments to municipal parks and recreation be better balanced to affect the change needed? Given that changing the current social reality is through making decisions, decision-making functions connected with systems theory helps identify how recreation authorities can more effectively influence environmental physical activity determinants. , Sallis et al.' (2006) ·social ecological model provides the a priori focus on active living decision-making. An integrated analogous emerging logic model is developed and presented as an efficacious strategy for how municipal parks and recreation decisionmakers can affect change. Keywords: physical activity, benefits outcomes, healthy livable community, quality of life, systems thinking, social ecological model, deci~ion-making, logic modeling, municipal parks and recreation, active living.

Royal Canadian Henley Regatta fonds, 1948-1983 (non-inclusive)

In 1903, the Canadian Association of Amateur Oarsmen had their request granted to make the Old Welland Canal at Port Dalhousie the permanent site of the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. That same year organized rowing was established in St. Catharines when the St. Catharines Rowing and Canoe Club was formed. The Henley course was completed in July of 1903 after rowing was well underway. Although the Henley course served as an athletic and social event, rowing itself was slow to grow in the St. Catharines area. In 1915 the Regatta was cancelled for the duration of WWI and reinstated in 1919 when an increased public interest in the sport began to grow. Two years later, the Henley Aquatic Association was formed in order to control, maintain and improve the rowing facilities. This association was responsible for building a new clubhouse at Ann Street in 1921 and in 1931 completing the grandstands. Also in the 1930s the association had the Federal Government approve their appeal to have the Henley waters dredged for the first time. The St. Catharines Rowing Club re-located its headquarters to the Lakeport Road site. The 1940s brought more support from local groups and with that more events. In 1945, the St. Catharines Junior Chamber of Commerce began helping to organize and promote rowing locally. One of the new events at the Henley course was the "Schoolboy Championships". The growth of both rowing and the Henley continued growing through the 1950s. The Henley Aquatic Association acquired Reid's Island, now Henley Island, mainly through the efforts of Ted Nelson. In the 1960s, rowing really took off in St. Catharines. Women began to become recognized in the sport when Brock University created a women's rowing team. The second dredging was completed in 1964, leading to the creation of a world class rowing course. The facilities were upgraded to international standards and the Henley rowing course became Canada's first Class A FISA (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron or International Federation of Rowing Associations) rowing course. The first North American Rowing Championship was held at the Henley course in 1967 and again in 1970 for the third championship. The Canadian Henley Rowing Corporation formed in 1972, along with the St. Catharines, Parks and Recreation Department created the first rowing school for youth. Since 1960, St. Catharines has been at a competitive level with other International rowing courses. The city continues to produce Olympic level athletes today.

The Conceptualization and Exploration of Place Allegiance: Towards a Unified Model of Person-Place Relationships within Outdoor Recreation

The academic study of place has been generally defined by two distinct and highly refined discourses within outdoor recreation research: place attachment and sense of place. Place attachment generally describes the intensity of the place relationship, whereas sense of place approaches place from a more holistic and intimate orientation. This study bridges these two methodological and theoretical separate areas of place research together by re-conceptualizing the way in which place relationships are viewed within outdoor recreation research. The Psychological Continuum Model is used to extend the language of place attachment to incorporate more of the philosophy of sense of place while attending to the empirical strength and utility of place attachment. This extension results in the term place allegiance being coined to depict the strong and profound relationships outdoor recreationists build with their places of outdoor recreation. Using a concurrent mixed methods research design, this study explored place allegiance via an online survey (n = 437) and thirteen in-depth qualitative interviews with outdoor recreationists. Results indicate that place allegiance can be measured through a multi-dimensional model of place allegiance that incorporates behaviours, importance, resistance, knowledge and symbolic value. In addition, place allegiance was found to be related to an individual's influence on life course and his/her willingness to exhibit preservation and protection tendencies. Place allegiance plays an important role in acknowledging the importance of authentic place relationships in an effort to confront placelessness. Wilderness recreation is an important avenue for outdoor recreationists to build strong place relationships.

The nature experiences of wilderness recreation leaders : throwing a stone

Through this descriptive exploratory study, the ways that wilderness recreation leaders experience nature are illuminated, deconstructing the assumed environmental benefits of and practices used in outdoor recreation (Haluza-Delay, 2001). This study also offers a foundation for advancing an environmental ethic among wilderness recreation leaders, participants, and organizations. With the continued degradation of and threats to natural environments, and the rising popularity of outdoor recreation participation, the outdoor recreation professional can be a leader in promoting human reconnections to the Earth (Henderson, 1999). Leaders of outdoor recreation experiences play an important role in encouraging these revived relationships to natural settings and can contribute to the necessary environmental consciousness shift needed within Western society (Hanna, 1995; Jordan, 1996). The purpose of this research was to describe the lived-experience in nature of wilderness recreation leaders. Specifically, a phenomenological method of inquiry was used to describe the meaning of nature, the connections and relationships to nature, and the behaviours and emotions experienced in nature by a group of wilderness canoe trip leaders employed by a residential summer camp. In addition to the implications of this research, achieving this outcome provides a rich descriptive understanding of wilderness leaders' experiences—a basis from which to extend future research endeavours and programmatic practices that promote effective environmental outcomes of outdoor recreation participation. Each of the five study participants was employed in the summer of 2003 by an Ontario residential summer camp organization that sponsors extended wilderness river canoe trips for youth. Two in-depth and semi-structured interviews were performed with each participant, asking them to reflect on the canoe trip that they led for the summer camp organization during 2003. Phenomenological data was analyzed according to Colaizzi's (1978) thematic analysis process. Consistent with van Manen's (1997) emphasis on phenomenological writing, the final result presents the essence of the nature experiences of wilderness recreation leaders in the format of a narrative description. This narrative piece is the culmination of this research effort. Throughout the journey, however, various foundations within the outdoor recreation field, such as minimum impact principles, environmentally responsible behaviours, anthropocentric and ecocentric worldviews, and effective leadership are deconstructed and discussed.

Quaternary geology of the Campbellford, Trenton, Consecon, Tweed, Belleville, Wellington, Sydenham, Bath, and Yorkshire Island map-areas, Ontario /

Sediment relationships observed during geological mapping in southeastern Ontario indicate a relatively simple deglaciation history for the area during late Wisconsin time. The ice from the north (part of the Lake Simcoe lobe) and the Lake Ontario ice lobe, which were coalesced during most of late Wisconsin time, initially separated along the crest of the Oak Ridges Moraine. Available data indicate that the Oak Ridges Moraine is composed primarily of sediments pre-late Wisconsin in age capped by late Wisconsin till and interlobate deposits. Retreat of the northern ice was relatively steady and resulted in the deposition of the Dummer Moraines, a facies of the drumlinized till to the south. Retreat of the Lake Ontario ice lobe into the Lake Ontario basin was interrupted by a re-advance which covered the southeastern half of the map area. The northern ice had already retreated from the area by this time. The Lake Ontario lobe was fed through the St. Lawrence Valley, indicating that the Ottawa Valley was ice filled at this time. High level glacial lakes fronted the ice during deglaciation. These waters quickly fell to low levels as the ice retreated from the St. Lawrence Valley, opening lower outlets.

Recreational Development and the Lake Erie Shore Photographs,1967

John N. Jackson was born and raised in London England. He served in the Royal Navy, acquired a B.A. and a Ph.D, conducted research for a city planning office and lectured at the University of Manchester. He joined Brock University’s faculty in 1965 as a Professor of Applied Geography. Since his retirement in 1991 he has been Professor Emeritus to Brock. Throughout his time in academia Jackson has focused his research on the history of the modern city, both throughout Europe and Canada. Jackson has also completed specific research on the Niagara Peninsula; including industrial geography, recreation along the Lake Erie shore, St. Catharines early history, the Welland Canals, railway development, comparisons across the Niagara River. While living in the Niagara region Jackson has become involved in many community events. He has been the Director for the Bruce Trail Association, President of the Welland Canals Foundation, and been involved in local historical groups throughout the Niagara region.

Community Recreation and Leisure Activities in Adults with Developmental Disabilities who have Recently Relocated to Community-based Residences in Ontario

In 2009, the Ontario Government closed the last three remaining large-scale institutions for people with Developmental Disabilities (DD). The purpose of this study is to examine the community-based recreation and leisure activities of 87 adults with DD who have recently moved into the community. Study 1 provided a descriptive insight into the community recreation and leisure activities, and revealed that people with DD engage in low levels of community activities, however are reported to have the desire to engage more often. Staff reported that people with DD do not have the opportunities to engage in their preferable activities. Study 2 investigated the prbspective predictors of the number and frequency of community, recreation and leisure activities and found that a higher level of functioning predicted a greater number of community activities ([beta] = .26, P < .05), while both a higher level of functioning ([beta] = .38,p < .001) and greater preference ([beta] = .23. p < .05) predicted more frequent access to community activities. Future research and the implications of the findings for clinical practice and policy development were discussed.

Integrating Children with Emotional and Behavioural Disabilities into Community Recreation Programs: A Handbook for Staff

This study examined the process of integrating children with Emotional Behavioural Disorders (EBDs) with their peers into recreation programs. The purpose was to develop a set of recommendations for the development of a handbook to help workers in recreation with the integration process. To this end, a needs assessment was conducted with experienced recreation workers in the form of semistructured interviews. Participants were recruited from two community centers in a large southern Ontario city. Themes were drawn from the analysis of the interview transcripts and combined with findings from the research literature. The results were a set of recommendations on the content and format of a handbook for integrating children with EBDs into recreation programs.

Examination of students' ability to observe domains of client behaviour in therapeutic recreation

When observing client behaviours, a therapeutic recreation specialist must have a base understanding of typical client behaviours to provide an informed analysis (burlingame & Blaschko, 2010). Providing students with the necessary tools for client observation is significant to the success of this process. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships amongst the TR student demographic characteristics on acquiring the observation competency necessary to conduct a TR assessment. One hundred seventy-two TR college and university students, enrolled in post-secondary undergraduate TR programs across Ontario, observed a client assessment via video, and recorded their observations using the Tracking Behavioural Assessment (TBA) (Passmore, 2002). Independent samples t-tests and analysis of variance were calculated for the different student characteristics on the domains of the TBA. Significant findings indicated that university students scored more accurately than college students, and advanced students more accurately than novice students, on the emotional and socialization domains.

Recreation at Crystal Beach - Postcards

Board with six postcards of Crystal Beach. First postcard, Steamer "Americana" leaving foot of Main St. Second postcard, Divers at Crystal Beach, Canada. Third postcard, Cyclone Coaster, Crystal Beach, Ontario. Fourth postcard, Scenic Railway, Crystal Beach, Ont. Fifth postcard, Scene in the Park, Crystal Beach, Ont. Sixth postcard, Scene on the Midway, Crystal Beach, Canada.

Therapeutic Recreation Education in Canada: A Review of the Current Curriculum

Abstract This descriptive study sought to identify the similarities and differences between the various educational institutions offering therapeutic recreation curriculum across Canada. The study utilized mixed methods, including open and closed-ended questions on a survey and document analysis. The research participants were from 14 educational institutions located across the nation. Results from this study identify similarities and differences in the curriculum used to prepare students pursuing a career in the TR field. Core competencies and standards of practice for the field of therapeutic recreation were defined and discussed. Accreditation and the accrediting bodies in the field of TR are reviewed because of their significant impact on curriculum. Implications regarding certification and regulation pertaining to the education for therapeutic recreation practitioners were discussed along with suggestions for future research.

SAVOURING ABILITIES SCALE (SAS): THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STRENGTHS - BASED ASSESSMENT FOR THERAPEUTIC RECREATION PROFESSIONALS

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an assessment that measured savouring leisure. The assessment items developed were reviewed for content validity by eight international therapeutic recreation (TR) educators and administrators as well as eleven TR practitioners. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the most suitable items for the assessment. The results suggest that the original three subscale design needed to be modified to five. The reliability of the total assessment is α=.84. Statistical analysis for construct validity reveal 58.52% of the variance explained, and a moderate correlation was found between this study and other savouring assessments. The implications of the shift in conceptualization are reviewed through discussing factor analysis issues, the lived experience of savouring leisure, and the impact of the content validity process. This study contributes to the ongoing dialog of savouring leisure. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Determining the Effectiveness of the Therapeutic Recreation Specialist - Certified Training at Baycrest Health Sciences

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the “Champion” training of the Therapeutic Recreation Specialist – Certified (TRSC) at Baycrest Health Sciences (BHS). BHS recently implemented a new model for Therapeutic Recreation Services that employs the model of champion for implementation of both best and next practices within the organization. This mixed methods study used both case study and program evaluation in order to understand whether the training that comprised of five different topics allowed the six participants to develop the skills needed to be champions. The results supported that learning did occur during the training and that the experience was positive for the participants. The overall finding from this study is that while the training was useful, the participants did not feel confident about utilizing these skills without further training; hence, this training can only be considered an introduction to the concepts presented.