0

1

Table of Contents Table of Contents

Background and Context What’s a Master Plan? Purpose of the Master Plan Why is it Important? Background and Context Our Definitions How is Devon’s Approach to a Master Plan Unique? Our Project Team What We Learned About Leading Transformational Change Utilizing a Community Development Approach Why a Community Development Approach?

How Did We Apply the Plan in Devon? Step One: Ignite and Invite Others to Participate Step Two: Share Strengths and Successes Step Three: Research Step Four: Define Priorities Step Five: Engage Others Who Need to be Involved Step Six: Create the Vision and Values for the Plan Step Seven: Develop a Mission or Purpose Statement Step 8: Identify Outcomes Step 9: Develop Strategies and Take Action Step 10: Learn, Celebrate, and Tell the Story

The Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan Results Our Mission Our Vision Our Values Our Goals Our Strategic Priorities Strategic Priorities

2

Implementing the Goals and Action Items: Three Paths Essential for Community Change: Action Items and Prioritization

Increase Municipal Planning and Policy Development in response to community priorities. Coordinate Parks and Facility Planning and Maintenance to reflect both internal and community priorities. Emphasize Community Building Efforts that Result in Citizen Engagement and Ownership Support more diversity in community-driven recreation options. Investment in Local Leadership Development (staff and volunteers). Make Environmental Stewardship a Priority Demonstrate Greater Commitment to Arts and Culture (including a new facility) Increase Cross-sectoral Partnerships and Collaboration e.g. elected officials, business, health, social services More Communication to promote recreation opportunities. Promote awareness of the importance of active, healthy living through recreation. Facilitate more opportunities and access to recreation for citizens who face constraints to participation.

Bibliography

3

Background and Context

What’s a Master Plan? A master plan is a comprehensive guide that outlines where we are as a community, in terms of our parks, culture, and recreation, ideally, where we want to go, and then determining how we can collectively address the gap in-between. Balancing future forward thinking with practicality, Devon’s Master Plan will outline strategic directions and priorities for developing parks, culture, recreation, sport, and active living, as it relates to services, programs, services, events, and facilities.

Purpose of the Master Plan Ultimately, the Devon Master Plan seeks to: maximize the quality of life in Devon by working with its citizens to ensure a community-driven, future focused direction for parks, culture, and recreation.

Why is it Important? Devon’s Master Plan will:

● help gain consensus for an inspiring vision and direction for the future of parks, culture, and recreation; ● be a living document that provides clear, yet adaptive, strategies for meeting the community’s expected outcomes for parks,

recreation, and culture, e.g., policies, programs, services, facilities etc.; ● represent the current needs and anticipate future trends; ● provide Town of Devon Administration with priorities and possible implementation strategies for which it will be accountable; ● reduce demands from pressure groups; ● help reduce duplication and competition; and ● assist Administration to allocate resources and seek opportunities for the resulting priorities.

4

Background and Context Recreation contributes to vibrant and engaged communities. It fosters personal, social, economic, and environmental well-being, touching on

many aspects of our lives − nourishing people and building strong families and communities. In Devon, recreation is an essential community service, as it adds to our quality of life, strengthens relationships, contributes to our sense of belonging, provides opportunities to participate for those who are less fortunate, stimulates the local economy, and protects the environment. Recreation is more than sport. Recreation is defined by the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association as, “the experience that results from freely chosen participation in physical, social, intellectual, creative, and spiritual pursuits that enhance individual and community wellbeing” (CPRA, 2015). In Devon, recreation can mean many things to different people, but much of it is about serving the public good by:

● building an understanding of the potential of recreation; ● providing opportunities for people to engage in recreation; and ● supporting people, so they can participate in the opportunities.

5

Our Definitions Recreation involves leisure-time activities in which people choose to participate. It can be active (e.g., walking the dog, playing soccer) or passive (e.g., reading a book, enjoying a concert). Recreation can be structured or informal and include physical activity, sport, arts, cultural activities, and community events. Community recreation is about the people, parents, youth, coaches, and volunteers, who are the informal leaders, making recreation happen. It is also about the meaningful and accessible activities the community creates for its own benefit. Leisure includes the activities, pursuits, or actions people enjoy and, therefore, choose to do in their time away from work and other responsibilities. Sport is physical activity with rules and is often a contest to determine a winner. In recreational sport, the emphasis is on participation and developing fundamental movement and sport skills. Active Living, or active, healthy living, indicates the connection between an active lifestyle and a healthy lifestyle. Active living means we value and integrate physical activity into our daily routines. Active living is one component of a healthy lifestyle and one of increasing importance, given growing levels of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc. Parks are associated with recreation, particularly in public or municipal recreation. Parks are more than municipal parks and, perhaps, better defined as outdoor environments used for recreation. Parks include playgrounds, developed and natural green-space, walking and bike trails, etc. Outdoor Spaces refer to our outdoor environments, where people recreate and include parks, playgrounds, community gardens, skating rinks, streets, schoolyards and fields, trails, waterways, campgrounds, and green-space. Recreation Facilities refer to buildings and community infrastructure, providing opportunities to participate in recreation. Those provided by the Town of Devon include ball diamonds, basketball courts, arena, outdoor skating rinks, playgrounds, library, mountain bike park, skateboard park, soccer fields, tennis courts, toboggan hill, and volleyball courts. However, these are supplemented by many other privately owned facilities or those operated by non-profit organizations, e.g., dance studios, martial arts studios, campground, etc.

6

Arts reflect culture and are a way of communicating through a medium that can be shared with others. Arts may be categorized as visual (e.g., drawing, painting, photography, architecture), literary (e.g., writing, comics, blogging), performing (e.g., music, theatre, dance), culinary, etc. Cultural Activities, within a recreation context, reflect local heritage, social traditions, and popular trends. Participation may involve special events and festivals, visits to facilities (e.g., museums, art galleries, historic sites), reading (e.g., books, newspapers), listening to music (e.g., concerts), etc.

7

How is Devon’s Approach to a Master Plan Unique? Recreation needs more than the services and support provided by local government or an organization. It is most effective when it reflects the passion and dedication of many individuals, groups, and businesses, working with the municipality to make it happen. When everyone works together, the result is more than what can be achieved alone. By working together, communities build social capital and resiliency — the network of social connections between people and, ultimately, enhance our quality of life. Community recreation is most effective when we strengthen relationships, engage community members, and empower citizens to join in the delivery of recreation opportunities. Community recreation suggests we shift away from relying on someone else to provide a specific program or expecting government will be the sole provider of facilities. Recreation is a vehicle for improving quality of life, community cohesion, personal health, and collective well-being, and bringing joy, challenge, and excitement to our lives. The greatest benefits come when people participate in the creation and implementation of recreation in their own communities, as the investment and ownership brings pride and belonging. The Devon Master Plan is working toward this end. The Town of Devon will ensure a Master Plan that is more than a plan that serves as a paperweight “gathering dust sitting on a shelf.” Therefore, a unique approach to planning has been used. Unlike most local governments that typically hire a consultant as the expert to drive the process, make recommendations, and write the final plan, we are implementing a different approach. Far more than simply consulting with citizens, our approach sees the citizens of Devon as the experts. We are using a community development approach that will tap the wisdom, knowledge, and ultimately, the engagement of a wide variety of stakeholders engaged and owning the process and the resulting plan. While Town staff are driving the process and some outside expertise is being engaged, the focus is on (1) designing a citizen-driven process that will allow for the co-creation of a Master Plan and (2) gathering data and information needed to help stakeholders make informed decisions. For instance, information related to demographics, trends, and opportunities.

Our Project Team The project governance team includes Members of Council, Members of the Devon, Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Board, and the Town of Devon Senior Management Team (CAO Tony Kulbisky, Director Milad Asdaghi, Director Paresh Dahlia, Director Dianna Doyle).

8

The Master Plan Advisory Committee will comprise the Devon Parks, Recreation, and Culture Board. Members include:

● Blake Adams, Councillor - October 2014 to November 2015 (Board member from November 2011 to October 2014) ● Tanya Hugh, Councillor – November 2015 to Present ● Connie Phillips Chair - November 2013 to Present ● Kevin Hancock, Vice Chair - November 2013 to Present ● Corinne Callihoo - November 2009 to Present ● Dave Horrocks - November 2012 to November 2014 ● Rebecca Anderson - April 2014 to present ● Yvonne Foose - November 2013 to December 2014 ● Allan Macaulay - March 2015 to Present ● Connor Halpin – June 2015 to Present

The core staff responsible for the Master Plan are:

● Milad Asdaghi, Director of Community & Economic Development ● Kristin Walsh, Recreation Coordinator

The contributing staff and consultants are:

● RecMetrics participants (formerly Service Excellence) ● Banister Research Inc. ● Brenda Herchmer, Campus for Communities/Grassroots Enterprises ● Aviatrix Design ● Janet Naclia, Alberta Recreation and Parks Association

These team members are invested in having a comprehensive master plan document that will reflect these values:

● accurate information about citizen and stakeholder values; ● open and transparent communication; ● realistic recommendations and implementation guidelines that can be executed; and, ● accountability to Devon’s citizens.

9

The intent was to ensure a Master Plan, reflecting transformational change, to maximize quality of life for citizens of Devon. This change is more complex than simply becoming more efficient and effective at what we are doing. Instead, it will be about new and innovative responses that will ensure Devon is stronger, more vibrant, and positioned for the future. While it will be a challenge, we are committed to (1) working toward the 7 Essential Elements we have learned are essential for leading this transformational change and (2) utilizing a community development approach.

10

What We Learned About Leading Transformational Change Change − especially the transformational change that will ensure Devon is active, creative, and engaged − is complicated. Today's complex health, social, economic, and environmental challenges require future-focused community leaders at all levels, working across sectors to drive collective impact and large scale change. However, holistic or systemic approaches, for making that a reality and addressing the underlying root causes, are rare. Without systemic change, it will become increasingly difficult to help people grow and be healthy, build strong families and communities, provide opportunities for those who are disadvantaged, protect the environment, and add to the quality of life in our communities. And yet, community-driven recreation can provide safe and non-threatening spaces to help build the trusted relationships that will help us prepare for a different future and the transformational change that will take us there. The term, transformation, appears everywhere, although much of what passes for transformation is only change that reforms, making what we're already doing more efficient and effective. Because people have recognized communities must change to be vital and sustainable , it is natural we struggle to define what to change and how that change should be created. It is this very concept of thinking before doing that requires us to think about what transformation is and how an environment can be created in which transformation can occur. Our approach to the Devon Parks, Recreation, and Culture Master Plan is based on the belief that our planning approach needed to help staff and citizens move beyond thinking only about change that reforms, to transformative change. To do that, we also knew we had to identify what we could do to develop individual, organizational, and community-wide capacities for transformation, so we aren't only rearranging the deck chairs, wondering why our attempts at systemic change aren't working. There are three paths to the change that will maximize the power and potential of recreation in Devon.

11

Figure 1. Three Essential Paths for Navigating the Journey to Transformative Change, Grassroots Enterprises.

12

We also learned seven essential elements need to be in place if we are to ensure a community environment that supports openness to new ideas, actively looks for collaborative connections inside and outside the community, accepts new types of risk taking, and builds robust capacities for true transformation.

Figure 2. Seven Essential Elements for Leading Comprehensive Change, Grassroots Enterprises.

13

Utilizing a Community Development Approach From the onset, the Council and Staff agreed the Devon Parks, Culture, and Recreation Master Plan would utilize a community development approach to planning. The planning framework we used is illustrated in the graphic below.

Figure 3. A Ten-Step Community Development Approach, A Toolkit for Community Leaders, Grassroots Enterprises, 2008.

14

While this framework encompasses the steps, typically, reflected in a more traditional approach to planning (steps 6 to 10), this framework, developed and shared by Grassroots Enterprises under an open source licence, has added the first five steps to ensure a community-development approach to planning. The graphic shows why each step is essential to the development of the Master Plan. The first five steps will allow the process to be driven by the community. Our staff and consultants' work was also more effective, because it was channelled toward supporting developing the plan, rather than being focused on directing the content of the Master Plan.

Why a Community Development Approach? A meaningful and relevant Master Plan is much more likely to result if the Town moves beyond gathering feedback from citizens and other stakeholders to acknowledging them as community experts and empowering them to provide direction for parks, recreation, and culture. Research (Herchmer, 2013) shows using a community development approach to planning will result in the following advantages:

● increased user satisfaction;

● enhanced community spirit and pride;

● a diversity of ideas, leading to quality decisions;

● responsive and relevant programs, services, and facilities;

● optimal use of resources;

● greater community support and credibility;

● improved trust and dialogue between staff and volunteers;

● increased emphasis on communication, growth, and

learning;

● facilitation of change;

● promotion of self-help;

● more value for dollars spent;

● increased citizen responsibility for implementing solutions;

● development of leadership abilities among those involved;

● increase in business and tourism potential;

● reduction of inequities; and

● promotion of cooperation and partnerships among

individuals and community groups.

1

How Did We Apply the Plan in Devon? The information that follows explains how we implemented the Ten Step Community Development Planning Framework to the Devon Master Plan. This process is the heart of Devon’s Master Plan, as it reflects the way many stakeholders have gathered information, discussed issues and opportunities, generated ideas, and shaped the direction of final plan. The process and its implementation is a reflection of the Town’s commitment to ensuring open and transparent communication.

Step One: Ignite and Invite Others to Participate

How Did We Apply Step One in Devon?

● Received Council approval and funding to begin Master Plan in November 2012.

● Briefed and received the approval and support of the Devon Recreation, Parks, and Culture Board, who will act as the Master Plan Steering Committee (May 15, 2014).

● Conducted meetings with staff members of Leduc County and Parkland County (June 2014).

● Informally promoted the Plan among stakeholders and community members as occasions arose, e.g., meetings, events.

2

● Webpage on Town website and media release issued an overview of the Master Plan and invited community members to get involved.

Step Two: Share Strengths and Successes

How Did We Apply Step Two in Devon?

● Using the 2011 Stats Canada census profile, a community profile was summarized.

● Bannister Research Inc. completed conducting the telephone survey (September 2nd to 23rd), which helped identify special interests and barriers to participation.

● Information for an inventory of existing community organizations and businesses providing programs, events, facilities, and services

related to parks, recreation, and culture has been collected by members of the Recreation Board.

● The community awareness night (September 11, 2014) and the community engagement sessions (October 16,18, 22, 2014) helped with the broader mapping of community assets.

3

Step Three: Research

How Did We Apply Step Three in Devon?

● Researching our community included a full review of previously developed policies, research papers and planning documents related to parks, recreation and culture. This includes, but is not limited to the previous Town of Devon publications such as:

o Devon Park and Recreation Master Plan o Devon River Valley Trails Master Plan o Facility Development Plan o Devon River Valley Master Plan

● Important provincial and national documents also include, but are not limited to:

o Ken Balmer’s “ReThinking Leisure Services: Trendscan – Prediction – Prescription” prepared for the 2011 National Recreation Summit

o The Alberta Recreation & Parks Association Toolkit for Community Leaders o Brenda Herchmer’s Community Building for the Recreation Practitioner o Canadian Parks/Recreation Association’s Everybody gets to play™ community mobilization toolkit o The Framework for Recreation in Canada 2015: Pathways to Wellbeing o The Alberta Recreation Survey 2013 Report

● A comprehensive list of the publications reviewed for the purpose of this master plan can be found in the bibliography at the end of

the document.

● Staff, board members, and members of Council participated in the pilot Service Excellence Program (known as RecMetrics), developed by Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, to assist the municipal government to determine what organizational capacity must be in place to ensure excellence in the areas of programs, parks, facilities, community building, and leadership, and management. The intent is ultimately to ensure sport, fitness, outdoor recreation, parks management, active and passive forms of recreation, social, creative and cultural activities, natural areas, and environmental protection are positioned as quality of life strategies, essential to overall wellbeing, life satisfaction, happiness, and sense of belonging. Devon's results can be found at this link. This process revealed strengths, areas to be addressed, and ideas to improve the Town’s internal processes.

4

● Devon is participating as an advisory member for the ARPA’s RecMetrics pilot program. A simplified set of questions has been

developed on Survey monkey to approach neighbouring municipalities to gather information for drawing comparisons (facilities, facility amenities, fees, program offerings, service delivery, policies, etc.) with nearby or comparable municipalities. To gain the most information, with the least disruption, information from public documents was gathered from each of the selected municipality’s websites. Through regional networking and connections made at conferences, other municipalities will be contacted, regarding specific policies and procedures, as the town and community move forward on future policy and practice guideline initiatives.

● A parks satisfaction survey was developed, and volunteers were sent into Devon’s parks to gather information on August 15th,

18th and 20th. Limited responses were collected, making results simply anecdotal.

● The results of the Banister telephone survey and FCSS current trends information, as well as some provincial (e.g., Alberta Health), helped identify the potential for recreation to impact broader community issues in Devon.

● Additional research, as the result of the national Framework for Recreation in Canada 2015: Pathways to Wellbeing, was also

reviewed.

● Recreation trends focused on research done by the Province of Alberta (Alberta Recreation Survey and Dr. Ken Balmer of RETHINK). His position paper, written for the National Recreation Summit, outlined 5 major games changers for the field of recreation.

5

Step Four: Define Priorities

How Did We Apply Step Four in Devon?

❖ To engage citizens and staff in articulating Devon’s values and priorities, this values exercise was introduced at stakeholder/engagement meetings. To gain consensus for Devon’s values, a Recreation Scanning Tool that provided a systems approach to examining the recreation delivery system for parks, recreation, and culture was utilized. See meeting Agenda at this Link Public/stakeholder meeting on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, 6:30-9:30pm @ P73 Club Public/stakeholder meeting on Saturday, Oct. 18,2014 9am-12 noon @ Holy Spirit Elementary School Administration meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 9am-12 noon @ Town Office

❖ The emerging values, key issues, and priorities were summarized in a report, entitled Devon's Master Plan: Here's What You Told

Us. This report was circulated via mainstream media and to those who had provided input to date. Essentially, this report was asking community stakeholders, "Did we get it right?" and invited community stakeholders to complete a survey on Survey monkey and to participate in upcoming community meetings.

❖ The above community meetings resulted in citizens and staff identifying:

o perceived community assets; o most important values; o benefits delivered by recreation and parks embraced within the community; o benefits delivered by recreation and parks that should be a priority within the community.

A full summary of the above can be found at this link.

6

Step Five: Engage Others Who Need to be Involved

How Did We Apply Step Five in Devon?

● Invitations were issued by the Mayor and Recreation Board Chair, inviting organizations, citizens, and staff to attend one of two meetings to provide additional feedback on February 6 or 7, 2015 (10:00 am to 3:00 pm). A facilitative technique, called Open Space Technology, was utilized.

● The theme of the meeting was "Issues and Opportunities for Optimizing the Power and Potential of Recreation in

Devon.” Attendees reviewed the Interim Report and were invited to generate topics and engage in smaller discussion groups. Conversations among participants deepened the learning and direction on topics already identified as priorities. Additionally, some new and innovative directions emerged. Summaries of the rich discussions and innovative recommendations can be found at this link.

● Used information gathered from the Values Exercise and Recreation Scanning Tool and the Open Space Technology Community

Conversations Summary to identify and create concepts for future landscape designs and planning opportunities.

7

Step Six: Create the Vision and Values for the Plan

How Did We Apply Step Six in Devon?

● Using the information that surfaced from previous steps, the vision and values for parks, recreation, and culture in Devon emerged, and feedback was gathered on the accuracy of the draft.

Step Seven: Develop a Mission or Purpose Statement

How Did We Apply Step Seven in Devon?

● Developing the purpose or mission for recreation and parks in Devon was determined by answering the following three questions then combining them in one sentence:

8

1. What key benefit or outcome will be delivered by recreation and parks? 2. For whom is it being done? 3. How will we do it?

The mission statement that emerged was: the Town of Devon seeks to maximize its quality of life by working alongside its citizens to ensure a community-driven, future focused direction for parks, culture, and recreation.

Step 8: Identify Outcomes

How Did We Apply Step Eight in Devon? Outcomes are the desired results or impact delivered by Devon's programs, events, initiatives, facilities, parks, etc. Ultimately, outcomes are about individual, organizational, and community impact and what will be differently as the result of parks, recreation, and culture. For individuals, outcomes can include change in knowledge, status or condition, behaviours, attitudes, or values, or skills. At a broader level, outcomes can deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits. Research has shown that recreation and parks services make a difference. Validation is provided for 49 benefits or outcome statements organized around the eight main benefits messages shown below: Recreation, parks, sports, fitness, active living, arts and cultural services:

1. are essential to personal health and well-being; 2. provide the key to balanced human development; 3. provide a foundation for quality of life;

9

4. reduce self-destructive and antisocial behaviour; 5. build strong families and healthy communities; 6. reduce health care, social service, and police/justice costs; 7. are a significant economic generator; and 8. green spaces are essential to environmental and ecological well being, even survival (The National Benefits Hub).

Any activity can have more than one outcome, and some outcomes may be unanticipated. However, effective identification of desired outcomes is essential for successful planning. Outcomes answer these distinct questions: ● What will stakeholders and the community have that they don’t have now? or ● What will be lost if this is not done? It will be critical to always begin with the end in mind. Devon participants indicated the following as the four outcomes or benefits delivered by parks, recreation, and culture that should be prioritized in Devon:

● Parks, open spaces, natural areas, and green spaces are essential to well-being and our environmental and ecological survival.

● Recreation and active living are essential to personal health and wellness. ● Recreation builds strong individuals, families, and healthy communities. ● Recreation, parks, and greenspace are essential to our quality of life and sense of place.

10

Step 9: Develop Strategies and Take Action

How Did We Apply Step Nine in Devon? This step is about operationalizing the master plan and the priorities identified by Devon community members. A work plan reflecting the strategic direction and action steps has been developed. This results from extensive work with staff and volunteers to develop a work plan that reflects strategic direction and action steps including roles, responsibilities, and timelines.

Step 10: Learn, Celebrate, and Tell the Story

How Did We Apply Step Ten in Devon? We plan to celebrate often to celebrate Devon's accomplishments along the way and upon completing major milestones or activities. The intent is to celebrate by sharing the Master Plan that has resulted and the direction it provides with the community. We will document our learnings, stories, and reasons for celebrating to ensure an ongoing record of Devon's learnings and accomplishments.

11

The Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan Results

Our Mission The Town of Devon seeks to maximize its quality of life by working alongside its citizens to co-create and implement a community-driven, future, focused direction for parks, culture, and recreation.

Our Vision We envision a Devon in which everyone is engaged in meaningful, accessible recreation experiences that foster:

● individual wellbeing; ● community wellbeing; and ● the wellbeing of our natural and built environments.

Our Values In Devon, we believe:

● parks, open spaces, natural areas, and green spaces are essential to our well-being and our environmental sustainability; ● recreation and active living are essential to our personal health and wellness; ● recreation builds strong individuals, families, and healthy communities; and ● recreation, parks, and greenspace are essential to our quality of life and sense of place.

12

Our Goals & Priorities These five goals and eleven strategic directions were identified as priorities for Devon’s Culture, Recreation, and Parks Master Plan. Each of these is expanded below with more specific action items and categorized as one of the three paths identified as essential for transformational change:

Goal: Connect People and Nature - Help people connect to nature through recreation.

Priority 1: Make environmental stewardship a priority.

Goal: Active Living - Foster active, healthy living through recreation.

Priority 2: Coordinate parks and facility planning and maintenance to reflect both internal and community priorities.

Priority 3: Promote awareness of importance of active, healthy living through recreation.

Goal: Inclusion and Access - Increase inclusion and access to recreation for populations, who face constraints to participation.

Priority 4: Facilitate more opportunities and access to recreation for citizens, who face constraints to participation.

Goal: Supportive Environments - Ensure the provision of supportive physical and social environments that encourage participation in recreation and build strong, caring communities.

Priority 5: Increased municipal planning and policy development in response to community priorities.

Priority 6: Support more diversity in community-driven, recreation options.

Priority 7: Demonstrate a greater commitment to arts and culture.

13

Goal: Build Recreation and Community Capacity - Ensure the continued growth and sustainability of the community by using a community development approach that focuses on supporting and developing volunteers and staff, groups, community initiative, and cross-sectoral collaboration.

Priority 8: Emphasize community building efforts that result in citizen engagement and increased ownership.

Priority 9: Invest in local leadership development for staff and volunteers.

Priority 10: Increase cross-sectoral partnerships and collaboration.

Priority 11: Ensure more communication efforts to promote community recreation opportunities.

14

Building Capacity to Deliver Master Plan Recommendations

Ensuring a community-driven and community "owned" approach to implementing the recommendations within the Town of Devon Master Plan will require an emphasis being placed on investing in the:

1. development of citizen leaders and neighbourhood associations;

2. capacity of nonprofit organizations; and

3. development of the competencies of municipal elected officials, committee

members, and staff to apply a community development approach to service

delivery.

Developing the capacity of nonprofit organizations will require an investment in training and community development coaching and support that focuses on:

a) building the internal capacity of community groups to work effectively (within a

future focused framework),

b) building the capacity of community groups to work externally within the broader

system and community.

Alberta’s voluntary sector is under escalating stress as the result of the constraints associated with inconsistent and often unreliable operational funding, with a lack of support for developing and sustaining organizational capacity. Often, there is no money available for professional development. Without a strong infrastructure, however, the services and products offered by the organizations are devalued, and Devon risks losing the engagement and leverage provided by volunteers.

Voluntary sector organizations are a form of “DNA” that

establish the connections

between citizens, communities, and governments to

build social capital, sustain democracy, and ensure quality

of life.

15

Investing in Leadership for Community Building

Communities get better when their leaders do. Communities that are productive, healthy, resilient, and innovative are those where people have a sense of belonging, are physically and socially engaged, involved in decision-making, and active as volunteers. To help build capacity and deliver the benefits of recreation, parks, sports, arts, culture, heritage, and active living, there needs to be an investment in leadership. Not leadership in the authoritarian sense, but skilled and knowledgeable community leaders, who can work with business, government, and the voluntary sector to engage citizens. It is this investment in building community leadership and citizen engagement at the grass-roots level that will ensure leaders, who inspire, rather than demand and require. Devon strives to foster leadership, more about influence, driven by values and a shared vision, passion, and a commitment to shared or distributed leadership, rather than the influence that results from formal positions of authority. Paying attention and responding to the trends and issues affecting our communities is required to achieve this community building style of leadership. Community building leaders should sense possibilities, while others are stuck in outdated thinking. It will also require leaders, who flatten the hierarchy, by seeking and valuing feedback from all sources and being comfortable sharing control and empowering others. Those in formal positions of authority must trust and empower their stakeholders to make the right decisions. They can do this by putting “everyone in charge”, engaging them in developing, and ultimately owning, a collective vision for the future. We are also talking about those who are authentic, honest, direct, and comfortable in their own skins. It is about leaders, who genuinely care about others and do what is best for the broader good, even when it is painful. This leadership need not be complicated. It may already be reflected in the six community leadership competencies, articulated by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (2009). First, there is a requirement that leaders be agents of change, who can exert influence by building and nurturing trusting relationships. Leaders will be those with the passion and motivation respected by others, so barriers can be addressed and overcome. Leaders must also be committed to continuous improvement and innovation for themselves and others. That doesn’t happen without strong values, a moral compass, and a code of conduct that reflects those values. The third competency is about being a leader, who is optimistic, proactive, and a big picture thinker. Big picture or systems-approach is essential, because the issues in our country and our communities are too complicated to be solved by any one sector or silo. While leaders examine that big picture, there is an expectation they would pay attention to and apply creative responses to the social, economic, environmental, and technology trends and issues that

When there is a collective vision and

direction for the future, the result will be

more of the collaborative relationships

and partnerships that are necessary for

creative and effective solutions.

16

have the potential to impact our communities. Community leaders aren’t expected to do it by themselves. Instead, they should be catalysts for encouraging citizen responsibility and engaging and cultivating community ownership. That means, while leaders must facilitate change, they also should believe in the power and possibilities of individual contributions. While citizens understand the importance of supporting business, there is also a demand for leaders, who will be advocates for quality of life and understand the most important investments that can ever be made will be those made in our children, our families, our health, our environment, and our social infrastructure. Leaders must also be able to plan effectively. This, typically, will mean using a community building or community development approach that engages others in a process that will cause visionary, yet pragmatic, plans that resonate, because they are an innovative response to real community needs and priorities. It will also mean ensuring adaptive planning that considers the need to create an environment supportive of continuous innovation.

Figure 4. Capacity Building Priorities, Grassroots Enterprises.

17

CORE COMPETENCIESFOR ORGANIZATIONAL

CAPACITY• Programs and Events• Community

Development• Individual and Group

Development• Diversity• Staff and Volunteer

Supervision• Research and Planning• Resource Development• Administration• Marketing and

Communication• Recreation, Facilities

and Open Spaces• Personal and

Professional Development

ADVANCED COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

COMPETENCIES• Agent of Change• Commitment to

Continuous Improvement

• Big Picture Thinking

• Catalyst for Citizen Responsibility

• Quality of Life Advocacy

• Community Development Planning

DEVON VISION, VALUES

ANDOUTCOMES

Building Capacity The Town of Devon seeks to increase internal and external capacity.

By improving core competencies (listed in the “Core Competencies for Organizational Capacity” section of Figure ___) the internal capacity of an organization or sector to work effectively (within a future focused framework).

By developing specific leadership competencies (listed in the “Advanced Community Leadership Competencies” section of Figure ___), the capacity of an organization to work externally within the broader system or community can be enhanced.

10 Organizational Core Competencies

1. Governance and Leadership

2. Planning and Development

3. Managing Participation and Access

4. Maintenance /Asset Management

5. Sustainability

6. Marketing, Communication and Customer Relations

7. Revenue Generation

8. Partnerships and Strategic Alliances

9. Risk Management, Safety, and Security

10. Integrated Management Systems (Finance, Technology, Performance Management)

Figure 5. Internal and External Elements of Capacity Building, Grassroots Enterprises.

It is important to keep in mind that these

core competencies are NOT part of a

benchmarking program, rather a way to

focus on measuring effectiveness.

18

Implementing the Goals and Action Items Three Paths Essential for Community Change As the goals and action items emerged from the community, it was important to remember what had been learned about supporting transformational change. The essential three paths became an important framework for organizing and prioritizing the goals and action items.

1. Support staff and volunteers, as leaders, who will co-create and implement a community-driven, future focused direction for parks, culture, and recreation.

2. Build trusted relationships and community capacity for transformative change with short-term projects (micro successes) that will

generate momentum. 3. Engage community members and staff to implement longer-term, more complex initiatives.

Figure 1. Three Essential Paths for Navigating the Journey to Transformative Change, Grassroots Enterprises.

19

Action Items and Prioritization All items presented are written as outcome statements, based on the community’s stated values. Sometimes, the methods of achieving the stated outcomes are provided as suggestions; however, based on the people involved and the resources at hand, the actual method of achieving an outcome may differ greatly from the anticipated methods written in this document. While the Town of Devon is open to alternative leadership and alternative means of achieving these outcomes, the outcomes will remain the same, unless a subsequent values assessment reveals altered community values, which result in adjustments to the outcome(s) in question.

1. Make Environmental Stewardship a Priority

“Help people connect to nature through recreation” is one of five strategic directions identified by the 2015 National Recreation Framework for Recreation. Citizens in Devon also identified their natural environment as being their most important value. When survey respondents were asked if they participated in casual recreation, sport, or cultural activities, over four-fifths (83%) reported using outdoor trails and open spaces. When asked about the Town’s strengths, in terms of recreation services and amenities provided in the Devon area, respondents most often said the multi-use trail system (47%).There was also agreement there must be a balance between municipal growth and environmental stewardship. Stewardship, as a priority, will be especially important for ensuring citizens “own” and protect the river, sensitive riverbanks and ravines, wildlife, beaver dam erosion, unique habitats, woodlots, and trails. A desire was also expressed to see more trees planted in newer neighbourhoods. Concerns were expressed about the encroachment of Edmonton, the risk of overuse, the desire to protect Devon’s small-town sense of community, and the desire to draw people to Devon who share our stewardship perspective.

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion

(i.e. who will initiate this task?)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Support the development of an Environmental Stewardship Committee for the Town of Devon. The committee shall establish a terms of reference which will identify the committee’s

2 Council, Rec Board, CED

Department, or

✓

20

purpose, goals, deliverables, scope of work, resources and budget, governance, and related bylaws or policies.

community

Establish a long term community vision and plan for the river valley and its assets (boat launch, Voyageur Park, trails, etc.) for Council approval, with active community involvement.

2 Rec Board, CED and P&I

Departments, Citizens

✓ ✓

Use a community development approach to develop an environmental stewardship strategy, including: waste elimination, hazardous substance elimination, climate neutrality, energy efficiency, protection of biodiversity and living systems (including a formalized urban forestry plan), watershed management, green procurement/purchasing, social diversity/equity, cultural diversity, heritage protection, environmentally friendly transportation (bicycles for in-town use), asset management and financial stewardship.

2 Council, CAO, P&I Department,

Community Building

Coordinator, Citizens

✓

Develop an internal operations program that guides effective energy, water/waste management practices and provides guidelines for chemical usage and vehicle/equipment purchases; should include an integrated pest management program, organic fertilizer options, water conservation policies, purchasing policies, native species, vegetation monitoring and replacement, soil compaction or erosion monitoring and remediation.

2 P&I Department ✓ ✓

Demonstrate leadership in the regular operations of facilities, offices, parks, programs and events by practicing waste reduction, reduced chemical usage, recycling, composting, and energy and water conservation.

2 CAO, SMT, P&I Department

✓ ✓

Demonstrate leadership in the use of feasible alternative energy sources (wind, solar, geothermal).

4 CAO, SMT, CLS & P&I

Departments

✓ ✓

21

Promote Devon’s walkable communities. 3 Communications ✓

Develop stewardship, protection, and management guidelines for parks and natural areas.

2 P&I Department ✓ ✓

Focus on developing nature programming and environmental education/stewardship through recreation programs.

3 Programmer/ CED Department,

Citizens

✓

Include community in the future development and maintenance of trails and open spaces.

2 Rec Board, CED and P&I

Departments, Council

✓

2. Coordinate Parks and Facility Planning and Maintenance to Reflect both Internal and Community Priorities

While parks and facilities are important to citizens of Devon, there were some unanticipated findings from the Master Plan process. The community feedback gathered via the telephone survey and the community conversations was not consistent; however, a clearer consensus, ultimately, emerged. When asked about the Town of Devon’s strengths in recreation services and amenities, respondents most frequently identified the multi-use trail system (47%), the Dale Fisher Arena (23%), and the outdoor swimming pool (22%) as strengths. When asked to indicate which recreation, sport, or cultural facilities they or a member of their household have used within the last 24 months, respondents most commonly identified the Town of Devon Trail Network (81%), parks/playgrounds (78%), and the Devon Community Centre (71%) as facilities they have used.

22

However, the trails garnered the highest overall satisfaction from the respondents (92%). This was followed by the Devon Lions Campground and the Splash Park. They were less happy with the Skateboard Park and the Devon Outdoor Pool. When asked about the Town of Devon’s areas most in need of improvement, respondents most frequently identified the need for an indoor swimming pool facility (30%) and an indoor multi-use recreation facility (15%). Conversely, fewer than two-fifths of respondents were satisfied with the number of washrooms in parks. Regarding the aspects of outdoor facilities, 93% of respondents rated the maintenance of parks and open space as being most important. Safety within parks and open spaces and the number of waste receptacles were second and third, respectively. Community feedback in the public meetings reinforced some of the phone survey findings, but also reflected different priorities. For instance, the need for an indoor swimming facility was never discussed. However, residents identified a need for a multi-use facility that would encourage year-round activities for all ages that might include a walking track, indoor soccer/basketball, daycare, and a concession. Other feedback suggested that garnered significant interest in a multi-use arts facility revealed the potential to combine these two identified areas of need. Community conversations also identified concerns, regarding the skateboard park, a desire for more benches and washrooms in parks, the need for more spaces and playground structures, and better coordination with schools. The feedback gathered through the Service Excellence Program suggests community involvement in parks and facility development is a priority, which further supports a move toward community building processes these areas of operation.

Action Items Suggested Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion

(i.e. who will initiate this task?)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

23

Use a community development approach to managing community recreation facilities and parks.

1 P&I, CED and FSS Departments

✓

Develop and document a comprehensive asset management program for all parks and facilities.

2 P&I Department ✓

✓

Establish policies and procedures to facilitate high quality and sustainable development of landscapes, park facilities, and park infrastructure.

1 Recreation Board, P&I and

CED Departments,

citizens

✓

Establish park design, signage/identities, and wayfinding standards.

2 Citizens, CED and P&I

Departments

✓

Define the purpose, goals and outcomes of recreation facilities and align customer service standards and maintenance plans.

2 Recreation Board, P&I and

CED Departments

✓

Evaluate current spaces and playground structures for after school hours, weekends, and summers.

2 Recreation Board, CED Department,

citizens

✓

Work with schools and the broader community to review and plan for upgrading and ensuring the safety of school and community playground structures.

3 Recreation Board, School

Reps, CED and P&I Departments,

citizens

✓ ✓

Work with the community to review and plan for upgrading municipal facilities, parks and park amenities.

2 Recreation Board, CED &

✓ ✓

24

P&I Departments, Council

Establish clear revenue targets and/or cost recovery guidelines for indoor and outdoor recreation facilities.

3 P&I, CED & FSS Departments

✓

Develop a parks risk management operations manual which addresses shared maintenance of parks and trails.

3 FSS, P&I Departments

✓

Implement work order/project management software and/or methods.

3 P&I Department & IT Coordinator

✓

Evaluate the current and potential other recreation software options to determine if the Town should continue with existing program or upgrade to a different recreation online registration and booking management option.

3 CED, P&I and FSS

Departments, IT Coordinator &

Communications

✓

Establish a skateboard committee to take the lead on relocating, redesigning and building a new skateboard park that would better meet the needs of residents.

2 Recreation Board, CED

Department, P&I Department,

Citizens

✓ ✓

Evaluate current venue and facility usage to optimize the use of Town-owned facilities, schools, and other community facilities, parks and open spaces for programs and events.

3 CED Department, Recreation

Board, EC Dev & Tourism Board,

Schools, Churches, Private

Business, Citizens

✓

Develop and manage a comprehensive inventory of parks, playgrounds and trails (categorize by purpose and classification).

2 P&I Department with input from

CED Department

✓

25

Conduct market research/surveys, at scheduled intervals, for parks and open spaces.

3 CAO, SMT, Communications Coordinator, CED

& P&I Departments

✓ ✓

Balance capacity and resources of parks and recreation facilities with usage and service levels

2 P&I and CED Departments

✓ ✓

3. Promote Awareness of the Importance of Active, Healthy Living through Recreation

Recreation provides opportunities for residents to lead active, healthy lifestyles; contributes to quality of life and well-being; fosters personal, social, economic, and environmental benefits. Recreation brings people together and can also be a starting point for addressing broader challenges faced in Devon. It can be a stepping stone, encouraging people to get to know each other and to participate in activities together. Recreation builds trusting and respectful relationships in our communities. When residents trust and respect each other, they become better at tackling bigger issues facing our communities today, issues such as chronic disease, diversity, etc. It will be important to promote the power of recreation to build community, provide opportunities for positive engagement, strengthen social capital, and foster positive personal, social, environmental, and economic benefits. There is also a role for recreation leaders to join by promoting the value of leisure, showing the many options, and supporting them to try activities that are satisfying. Educating people about recreation can be done face to face, in workshops or webinars, via social media, or through existing recreation or community services. Even if people are not involved in recreation programs, there are ideas and tools that encourage them to try. Potentially, leaders can educate others about recreation through every communication, program, or service and help people become more aware of what they want or need to get out of their recreation participation to encourage choices that fit their needs and values. The evidence is more than intuitive or anecdotal. The Benefits Hub, a national database, houses over 1000 academically vetted studies that provide evidence and links to the individual, social, environmental, and economic benefits delivered by recreation. Evidence for 50 identified benefits or outcome statements are organized around eight main benefits marketing messages.

26

The eight main messages are that recreation, parks, sports, fitness, active living, arts and cultural services: ○ are essential to personal health and well-being; ○ provide the key to balanced human development; ○ provide a foundation for quality of life; ○ reduce self-destructive and antisocial behaviour; ○ build strong families and healthy communities; ○ reduce health care, social service, and police/justice costs; ○ are a significant economic generator; and ○ green spaces are essential to environmental and ecological well-being, even survival.

Action Items Suggested Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion

(i.e. who will initiate this task?)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Foster a broader understanding of the definition of recreation and the individual, community, economic and environmental well-being it delivers. (e.g. printed materials, at community events, in facilities etc.)

3 CED Department, Communications,

Rec Board

✓ ✓

Ensure recreation programs are designed and evaluated based on a benefits approach.

2 CED Department ✓

Host inclusive introductory-level programs for those who are new to, and want to learn more about various recreation, culture or sport activities.

3 CED Department, Communications,

Rec Board

✓

Ensure Rec Board members have an understanding of the benefit or outcomes delivered by recreation so they are positioned to serve as ambassadors to promote an

1 CED Department, Rec Board

✓

27

awareness and understanding of the importance of active healthy living and of participation in sport, culture, and recreation among all ages, interests, genders, cultures, and abilities.

Establish partnerships to develop and encourage community health initiatives (e.g. prescription for physical activity).

2 CED Department, Rec Board

✓

4. Facilitate More Opportunities and Access to Recreation for Citizens Who Face Constraints to Participation

More than any other service, recreation can reach all citizens to bring people together in a non-threatening, positive atmosphere. However, a rebalancing of recreation may be necessary to reduce the barriers and constraints to participation faced by some people. This means acknowledging and valuing cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity, and considering and accommodating differences in age, ability, sexual orientation, education, hearing, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, and mental health concerns that affect well-being.

Action Items Suggested Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion

(e.g. Dept, Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Establish a local inclusivity (e.g. Everybody Gets to Play) committee to address local barriers that reduce the ability of residents of all ages and abilities to participate in the recreation of their choice (cost, attitudinal, availability of equipment, physical accessibility, transportation, recreation

2 CED & CLS Departments, Rec

Board, FCSS Board, public and

private sectors

✓

28

literacy, communications, etc.)

Examine bus usage and determine scheduling opportunities that would increase participation in regional recreational activities.

3 FCSS Coordinator, Bus Drivers

✓

When planning and delivering recreation programs and events consider how leisure education that leads to leisure literacy will be incorporated. This can involve identifying and addressing barriers that may include financial limitations, accessibility issues, a lack of experience, isolation, gender stereotypes, disabilities, bullying, and others.

3 CED Department, Communications

✓

Consider facilitating or promoting childcare options for parents who want to participate.

4 FCSS/CED Department

✓

Find ways to reduce barriers for those who wish to volunteer. 3 FCSS/CED Department,

Citizens

✓

Actively engage persons of diverse and ethnic backgrounds in developing, leading and evaluating the Town-operated recreation and park activities

3 CED Department ✓

5. Increase Municipal Planning and Policy Development in Response to Community Priorities.

The Master Planning process in Devon has indicated something of a disconnect between the traditional Town offerings and the values and priorities of the citizens they serve. Town priorities have been more typically focused on the direct delivery of facilities, programs, and

29

events. Although these were valued, citizens clearly indicated their priorities as being more informal outdoor recreation, arts and culture, and increased cross-sectoral partnerships and collaboration, so decisions and priorities aren’t determined exclusively by town staff and elected officials. Specific concerns were raised, regarding the need for the town to respond to Devon’s young family demographic. Citizens want to see more collaboration between schools, community organizations, businesses, and the town and see the potential for community events and building new parks and facilities together. There is a need for clearer policy and direction as the result of the Town’s growth, particularly, in terms of supporting responsiveness to community priorities and how they should be addressed.

Action Items Suggested Ranking (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Establish an organization-wide vision and mission that incorporates a work plan for operationalizing the recommendations evolving from the Master Plan.

1 Council, CAO, CLS

✓

Promote and incorporate the vision, mission, and priorities identified within the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan, and incorporate direction identified into annual department planning.

1 Council, Recreation

Board, CAO, CED Department, Communications

✓

Begin all new projects and initiatives with a project charter that reflects the vision, mission, and priorities identified in the Master Plan.

1 CAO, SMT, Recreation Board

✓

Implement a community development policy/culture that outlines how the Town will work with residents to implement programs, services, events, and facilities.

1 Council, Rec Board, CAO, SMT, CED Department

✓

30

Develop standards and procedures for the delivery of Town programs.

2 CED Department ✓

Develop a comprehensive, long-term facility management plan that will ensure: monitoring of facility conditions, linking costs and performance data, inspection and servicing schedules, and a work order system for organizing/prioritizing requests.

2 P&I Department ✓

Develop a sustainability/environmental stewardship policy or framework.

2 Environmental Stewardship

Committee, SMT

✓

Develop an organizational risk management policy. 2 CLS & FSS Departments,

CAO, SMT

✓

Create a program for diversified/balanced revenue and resource development.

2 FSS Department ✓

Adopt a cooperative community engagement process for the development of both annual and long term financial planning.

3 Council, CAO, SMT, FSS

Department

✓

Conduct a core services review (review organizational structure, service levels, balance workload and service levels with available resources).

3 All Departments & SMT

✓

Establish an employee recruitment and retention strategy for the pool, arena and parks.

4 CAO, SMT, Council

✓

Initiate a program of knowledge capture and sharing 2 FSS ✓ ✓

Continue to support and encourage information management through records management software.

5 SMT, FSS Department

✓

31

Purchase software specific to municipal planning/ governance/budgeting.

3 FSS & IT Departments,

SMT

✓

6. Support More Diversity in Community-Driven Recreation Options

Given that Devon demographics reflect a relative young population, not surprisingly, feedback revealed a need for more family activities, including community events, intergenerational programming, opportunities for family volunteering, and more spaces and playground structures for after school hours, weekends, and summers. Youth are seeking alternatives to sport (e.g., music, dance, drama, informal gatherings). And more activities for seniors, particularly men, appear to be a priority. The most interesting trend is the growth of casual, less formal recreation, sport, and cultural activities. Four-fifths of the telephone respondents (83%) reported using outdoor trails and open spaces, followed by 72%, who attend festivals and concerts, and over two-thirds of respondents, participating in camping (68%) and fitness (jogging, working out, yoga, etc.).

Action Items Suggested Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership

Champion (i.e. who will initiate

this task?)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Develop guidelines to support and empower citizens, groups and businesses to develop new programs and events to meet the community’s needs. This would include more family programming, environmental education, culturally diverse programs, and other opportunities to grow local programming and events.

2 CED Department, Communications

✓ ✓

32

Establish program start-up supports and incentives (e.g. a grant)

2 CED Department, FSS Department

✓

Ensure a Town of Devon policy that welcomes diversity and accessibility and as such will serve as a guide for facility, parks, and programming plans and practices.

3 CED Department, SMT, CAO,

Council

✓

Make facilities, sport fields, and programs more accessible through online registrations and reservations.

3 CED Department, IT Coordinator

✓

Build community capacity by bringing more opportunities to the neighbourhood level (e.g. Adopt a Park, Block Party Kit, equipment loans such as giant jenga games, movies in the park, BBQ trailer).

2 CED Department, Citizens

✓ ✓

Support the development of community gardens. 3 CED Department, P&I Department,

Citizens, Recreation Board

✓

Revise the community grant application to include reduced facility rental rates if community groups demonstrate that they have diversified/balanced revenue and resource development in place.

2 FSS & CED Departments,

Council

✓

7. Demonstrate Greater Commitment to Arts and Culture (including a new facility)

A need was identified for more activities related to arts, culture, dance, music, drama, and heritage in Devon. This was especially important for children and youth uninterested in sport. Encouraging arts and culture was also seen as being important for nurturing innovation and

33

creativity and, ultimately, helping to further the community’s “brand.” Additionally, it would help promote Devon as a unique tourist destination. While somewhat aligned with the identified need for a multi-use facility, a new multi-use arts facility was seen as being important, as a “hub” for rent-paying tenants and “indie entrepreneurs.” Potential was also identified for the facility to be developed as a co-operative and/or one that would encourage local investment. The facility was one that would incorporate performance and visual arts studios, a theatre, space for local non-profit groups, a library/art gallery, a coffee shop/drop in place, a woodworking shop, an adjacent community garden to replace the P73 Hall. The building was envisioned as being efficient (e.g., LEEDS, passive solar design, solar energy production, geothermal heating, solar panels, high R value insulation, water conserving). This would give the building an additional educational component and attract attention for the town.

Action Items Suggested Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion

(i.e. who will initiate this task?)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Develop a municipal policy/initiative for acquiring public art that supports local artists (e.g. painting, sculpture)

3 CED Department ✓

Use the new area in the library as an art gallery to display the work of local artists.

4 Council, Rec Board, Library

✓

Encourage community-driven events or festivals that celebrate the arts (e.g. multi-cultural/heritage day, showcases, concerts, add a circus to Devon Days).

2 Rec Board, CED Department,

Communications

✓ ✓

Find a location for an amphitheatre (Voyageur Park?) 3 Rec Board, P&I Department, CED

Department, Citizens

✓ ✓

34

Ensure that the policy, planning and delivery of programs and events is driven by the intent to expand and diversity leisure opportunities.

3 CED Department, Communications,

Citizens

✓

Empower staff to experiment and try new program offerings and event delivery options.

3 Council, Rec Board, CAO, SMT ✓

8. Emphasize Community Building Efforts that Result in Citizen Engagement and Ownership

Citizens and staff identified “community-driven” as being one of their top five values. This may be due, in part, to a realization that government will not have the resources to meet all demands. Maybe participants did not see existing town values and priorities aligning with their own key priorities, e.g., family-oriented, environmentally conscious, inclusive, and sustainable. Regardless, there is strong consensus of the need for more citizen engagement and ownership, as it relates to parks, recreation, and culture (albeit, needing to come with community building support from town staff and investment in community development training that will build community leadership capacity). Evidence suggests staff, volunteers, and elected officials involved with the recreation sector (including sport, active living, arts and culture, and heritage) are positioned to provide a safe, non-threatening starting point for providing the community building and developing local leaders at all levels that will be necessary for working collaboratively to ensure innovative programs, services, and events.

Action Items Suggested Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion

(i.e. who will initiate this task?)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

35

Implement a Recreation Board orientation that includes a meeting with Council where direction is provided, a review of relevant by-laws and policies, board practices, board member roles and responsibilities.

3 Council, CAO, CED & CLS Departments

✓

Ensure the Board By-Law includes a requirement to ensure diversity of relevant interests/experience in the selection of Recreation Board and Committee members.

3 Council, CAO, CLS Department

✓

Engage the Recreation Board in decision-making processes, regular reviews of by-laws and policies, and community building.

2 Council, CAO, SMT

✓

Encourage the Board to bring forward issues related to quality of life in Devon.

4 Council, CAO, SMT, CED

✓

Build relations between Council, Boards, and Administration through communicative and collaborative processes, and planned information sharing.

1 Council, CAO, SMT, all 3

Boards, all Staff

✓

Develop a new user fees and charges policy through a community engagement approach. The policy should include: what services will be provided on a fee/charge basis, process for establishing fee/charge levels or cost recovery/profit expectations for different facilities, fees/charges to be levied for residents and non-residents, as well as addressing inability to pay and the economically disadvantaged.

2 CED, P&I and FSS Departments, Recreation Board

✓

Council and Boards use facilitative techniques (e.g. Open Space Technology, Community Cafe) to engage in meaningful community conversations.

1 Council, Boards, CAO, SMT

✓

Maintain relationship between “Local Youth Experience” (their mandate is to promote youth to inspire them to

3 Recreation Board, CED Department/

✓

36

connect with their community) and the Parks and Recreation Board. Support their volunteering efforts (e.g. lawn service, picking up trash, Devon Days).

FCSS

Boards of Council host several public conversations per year where they can show the community what they’ve been working on and provide opportunities for engagement discussion regarding new initiatives.

4 Recreation Board, Council

Volunteers, board members, administration and Council use webinars and conferences as opportunities to participate and learn together.

3 Council, Board Members, CAO,

SMT

✓

Provide short (5-10 minute) tutorial videos through the Town website on community specific issues (e.g. how to apply for funding, organizing a presentation to Council, permits)

4 Communications Coordinator, CED

Department

✓

Include links on the Town website to resources that will assist community groups in building their capacity.

4 Communications Coordinator, CED

Department

✓

Invite more community organizations to participate in the execution of Town events to experience community spirit-building. This will help members of organizations build capacity for event planning, organization, networking, etc.

4 CED Department ✓

Supplement some face to face meetings with the use of information technology (e.g. Customer relations management, online meeting platforms) to build connections and consensus.

4 CED Department, IT Coordinator

✓

37

9. Invest in Local Leadership Development (staff and volunteers)

Recreation can serve as a vehicle for improving quality of life, community cohesion, personal health, and collective well-being. It can bring joy, challenge, and excitement to our lives. When people participate in the creation and implementation of recreation in their own community, the investment and ownership can bring a sense of community pride and belonging. However, this leadership will require a set of competencies that recreation staff or volunteers may not have. In the past, leadership was viewed as a formal position of authority that dealt with supervising and managing. In recreation settings, this meant leaders provided programs or managed public facilities. Today, recreation leadership is more about facilitating and supporting the energy and talent of other people, who wish to make a difference within their community. This means, potentially every recreation volunteer and staff person is a leader—with or without an official title or formal position of authority. While this is an investment by the town, it promises to deliver enhanced community spirit and pride, a diversity of ideas leading to quality decisions, greater community support and credibility, and responsive and relevant programs, services, and facilities.

Action Items Suggested Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion

(i.e. who will initiate this

task?)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Use a community building approach to assist community groups/partners who wish to initiate a community project.

3 CED, P&I Departments

✓ ✓

Provide training and support to increase the capacity of citizens to serve as community builders.

1 CED Department

✓

✓

Facilitate and support other organizations to facilitate community building activities (e.g. community events, event grants, block

3 CED & CLS Departments,

Communications

✓ ✓

38

parties) , Rec Board

Partner with Adult Learning to provide training to volunteers and staff (e.g. High Five/High Five Sport, community building, board governance, social media)

2 CAO, SMT, CED Department

✓

Provide meaningful capacity-building experiences for community development training.

1 CAO, SMT, CED ✓

✓

Encourage all sport groups to utilize the Canadian Sport For Life model.

3 CED Department,

Communications, Citizens

✓

10. Increase Cross-sectoral Partnerships and Collaboration

39

Today's complex health, social, economic, and environmental challenges require future-focused community leaders at all levels, working across sectors, to drive collective impact and large scale change. The Devon Master Plan process identified a need to pay more attention to broader community needs and issues, particularly, those related to quality of life. During community conversations, people asked questions, such as: How do we grow Devon while protecting the natural environment? Is there a community-driven vision and mission for the town? Given the speed of change, how do we keep up to date and current? Who brings the sectors and silos together to ensure Devon responds to cross-sectoral issues and opportunities? Threaded throughout the conversations, there was growing evidence of a desire for more collaboration between community, government, and businesses to address broader community issues. Cross-sector Work was seen as an opportunity to reduce costs and duplication, provide more and better services for residents, increase potential for receiving grants, and provide opportunities for citizen representation and involvement and a strengthened sense of community spirit. Citizens reflected a belief that today’s issues and challenges are increasingly complex, and transparency, collaboration, sharing, and empowerment will be essential if we are to find new ways to collaborate.

Action Items Suggested Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion

(i.e. who will initiate this task?)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Use a community building and partnership approach to program selection, design and delivery.

2 CED Department ✓

Take steps to increase partnerships and assign staff responsibilities for supporting the community building that will ensure partnerships and collaboration.

3 CED Department ✓

Explore the potential of partnerships with Enoch Cree Reserve. 3 CAO, SMT, CLS & CED

Departments

✓

40

11. Ensure More Communication to Promote Recreation Opportunities

We are facing a generational shift in how people consume information. Internet-accustomed young adults (digital natives) are less likely than digital immigrants to be interested in standard, written material and are drawn to easy-to-digest formats and ‘bite sized’ information. Dull information is ignored in favour of that with strong emphasis on design, look, and creative messaging. As a result, marketing and communication has become more complicated as there is no one best strategy. Telephone Survey Respondents, likely a more traditional audience, said they most commonly used word-of-mouth (92%), the newspaper (88%), and signage (78%) as methods to stay informed about Devon’s recreation news and events. When asked what the most effective method of communication about town recreation programming was, the most common response was the newspaper (44%), followed by social media (13%) Communications work must be highly cost-effective, and the strategies suggested must be seen as both affordable in the short-term and sustainable in the longer-term. Like others, Devon citizens are often overwhelmed by information, requests for action, and/or recommendations for changed behaviour. The town must accept this reality and stand out, while serving a key role in filtering and curating the vast data coming at everyone. Each contact with each target audience must be interesting and relevant, offering something of value that gradually builds trusted relationships and networks. Inbound versus outbound marketing is also transforming how the town should think about marketing and communication. Outbound marketing is how we have traditionally approached communications and marketing, using vehicles such as print media, Public Service Announcements (PSA's), tradeshows, and listservs to push out information to the masses. It means, we've been interrupting potential prospects to get them onboard with our programs, services, and events. Inbound marketing takes the opposite approach by making it simpler to get found by those already using the internet to look for our service, expertise, or messages. It is about earning someone’s attention, versus paying for it, or as some would say, the difference between using marketing as a sledge hammer or a magnet.

41

An inbound marketing approach would require the Town website to be a hub that will attract visitors via search engines and SEO (search engine optimization), blogs, videos, webinars, and other forms of social media. It also explains why it is essential to have a website, where content can be added and updated on a moment’s notice, without depending on outside technical support. Experts suggest most marketers, today, spend 90% of their efforts on outbound marketing and 10% on inbound marketing. They suggest those ratios should be flipped. Inbound marketing and communication costs less, because it is about creating content and then talking about it via free options, like blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Facebook. Inbound marketing is more effective, because efforts are only being targeted to those, who have already identified their interest and are looking for what you offer. It is also an efficient investment in terms of time and money, because content can often be repurposed. For example, content can be used on a website, blogged, tweeted, or provided as a downloadable resource. Marketing and communication, from the town’s perspective, may be further complicated by the need to incorporate elements of social marketing that will educate citizens about the benefits of recreation and active living. It will be about helping those audiences take the first steps toward new behaviours that will lead them to experiencing the individual, family, community, and environmental benefits. Community feedback also suggested residents are interested in an integrated marketing approach that will communicate all recreation options, including those offered by the Town, non-profits, businesses, informal options etc. Communication also refers to internal communication processes. Councillors, board members, and staff provided feedback through the Service Excellence Program, identifying a need to establish a shared vision, consistent processes, and ensure all strategies and initiatives are aligned with the shared vision, or the big picture.

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council,

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

42

important)

Committee)

Develop a communications plan for the Parks, Recreation & Culture Master Plan

1 Communications, CED Department

✓

Complete the inventory of all community organizations and businesses providing recreation programs, services and facilities and make available in an online database. Consider making it available as a printed document.

5 Rec Board, Communications

✓

Establish a forum/method for governance and management to receive regular feedback on community perspectives, needs and priorities.

1 Council, CAO, SMT, Rec Board,

CLS/ Communications

✓ ✓

Research the potential of a “community concierge” at the neighbourhood level who can connect citizens to information and services.

4 CED Department ✓ ✓

Continue to hold user group meetings as a means for gathering stakeholder input and to identify priorities and opportunities for programs, facilities, and services.

3 CED Department, P&I Department, Communications

✓

Develop educational campaigns to deliver messages to citizens about public health/safety, the benefits of recreation, and the importance of community development.

3 Communications, All Departments

✓ ✓

Develop local marketing campaigns to promote Devon’s parks, trails and open spaces, recreational facilities, program standards being met (e.g. High Five), and Devon’s seasonal program and event offerings.

3 Communications, CED Department

✓ ✓

Establish a leisure services communications strategy to improve communications about formal and informal recreational activities and promote activities between

2 Communications, CED Department,

Citizens

✓ ✓

43

community groups, the Town and citizens.

44

Appendices

Appendix A - Related plans, strategies and frameworks Appendix B - Suggestions that can be Brought Forward at an Open Spaces Community Conversation Forum Appendix C - Recommendations for the Municipal Development Plan Appendix D - Recommendations for items to be addressed through the Volunteer Strategy Appendix E - Recommendations to be addressed through the Communications Plan Appendix F - Recommendations to be addressed through the Community Engagement Plan Appendix G - Recommendations to be addressed through FCSS Strategies (Early Childhood Development and Older Adult frameworks) Appendix H - Recommendations for the Town of Devon Human Resources Appendix I - Recommendations to be addressed through the River Valley Trails Master Plan

45

Appendix B: Suggestions that can be Brought Forward at an Open Spaces Community Conversation Forum

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Preserve the heritage of Devon’s first Birkebeiner in 1985 and dinosaur fossils.

3 Rec Board, Citizens

Add more fitness equipment (outdoor exercise equipment) into parks) that can be used by children, youth, and adults.

4 Recreation Board, CED and P&I Departments

✓ ✓

Generate ideas for land across from Holy Spirit e.g. parking, outdoor arena, skateboard park etc.

5 Recreation Board, Council, P&I and CED Departments,

Citizens

✓

Residents have identified a need for a multi-use facility that would encourage year round activities for all ages that could potentially include a walking track, indoor soccer/basketball, daycare, concession. Note: These recommendations could potentially be included as part of the proposed multi-use arts

3 Recreation Board, CED

Department, P&I Department,

Citizens

✓

46

facility.

Feedback from youth suggest the existing skateboard park is too small, and is often so busy that people who would go don’t because it is too crowded. It also needs to be upgraded (e.g. equipment/feature edges stick out or are uneven and regularly damage skateboard tires, incurring costs for the users). Additionally younger kids get intimidated and leave because there’s no space for them to play without bigger, more advanced skill levels (they need entry level features with time and space to try new things without feeling intimidated or rushed). If the current skate park is kept, it was suggested boards be installed around the base of the features to reduce litter underneath and the hornet issue that results. Ideally a new skateboard park be built beside the dog park across from Holy Spirit as it is more centralized. Ideally it would made of concrete - it takes less maintenance and makes better sense in the long-term. It would be fenced and locked overnight and in the winter so equipment isn't ruined, could include varied levels of difficulty in different areas to accommodate all skill levels and ages, and have a large-enough roof/or half indoors for rainy days or for cooling off. It was suggested the first step would be to establish Skateboard Committee.

2 Recreation Board, CED

Department, P&I Department,

Citizens

✓

✓

Support the initiation of an informal network of those working with volunteers to coordinate efforts (e.g. collaborate to develop a list of residents interested in episodic volunteering. For example recruit and train a volunteer corps to work at community events and festivals, or a list of volunteer drivers

2 CED Department / FCSS

Coordinator

✓

47

that could be used by more than one organization, collaborate to develop joint training and recognition events).

Strengthen local leadership and public participation by providing or subsidizing training and resources (e.g. provide Council, Boards, Administration and citizens with cultural and sensitivity training, project management, coaching, High Five/High Five Sport, community building, board governance, social media) or by offering a scholarship or award.

2 Council, CAO, SMT

Reach out to older isolated males by encouraging the development of a woodworking shop. As such it could also provide an opportunity for seniors to mentor young people, and build props, parade floats, toys etc., for community events.

3 CED Department, Private Business, Citizens, Schools

✓

Introduce Urban Poling/Nordic Walking (walking using ski poles) as a way for adults/seniors to get together in informal, social settings while building their strength and stability.

4 CED Department, Citizens

✓

Support the interest seniors have indicated in Pickleball (a cross between badminton, tennis, and ping-pong).

3 CED Department, Citizens, P&I Department

✓

Nurture and promote opportunities for intergenerational programming.

3 CED Department, Citizens,

Recreation Board

✓

48

Provide a place to jam for young musicians. 4 Rec Board, CED Department,

Private Business, Citizens

✓ ✓

Identify a champion to host a meeting to explore the potential and interest in developing a multi-arts facility (e.g. DSOD, Songbirds, Library, Community, Music, Grounded, Circus performers, youth group, Pioneer 73 Club, Town and Festival Court proponents). Also invite ACCA (Association of Community Cooperatives of Alberta) to learn more about the potential of it as a cooperative. Research the Alberta Unleashing Local Capital Movement that encourages local citizens to invest their capital (sometimes even eligible for RRSPs) in local initiatives.

2 Rec Board, CED Department,

Citizens

49

Appendix C: Recommendations for the Municipal Development Plan

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Maintain an urban rural interface buffer between urban encroachments.

2 P&I Department

Protect Battery Washout Creek as a passive, protected area. 2 Council, CAO, P&I Department,

Citizens

Develop a park land acquisition and allocation plan. 2 P&I, CED & FSS

Departments, Council

Develop a SMART growth strategy to steer land development and operations to ensure a well-designed, livable and walkable neighbourhoods/community (adapt the Town Engineering Standards to ensure alignment with SMART growth principles).

1 Council, All 3 Boards, CAO,

SMT, P&I Department,

citizens

50

Develop a comprehensive, long-term parks management plan that includes: an inventory, a maintenance and operations plan, an urban forestry plan, a GREEN strategy, a land acquisition and development strategy, and community partnership guidelines.

2 P&I Department, CAO, SMT

✓

51

Appendix D: Recommendations of items to be addressed through a Volunteer Strategy

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Promote volunteering as an opportunity for personal growth, fun, social interaction etc.

4 Communications Coordinator, CED

Department, Citizens

✓

Maintain communications with current and past volunteers 3 CED Department ✓

Wherever appropriate, use municipal publications or mailing inserts to promote volunteering.

3 CED Department / FCSS

Coordinator

✓

Support the initiation of an informal network of those working with volunteers to coordinate efforts (e.g. collaborate to develop a list of residents interested in episodic volunteering.

2 CED Department / FCSS

Coordinator

✓

52

For example recruit and train a volunteer corps to work at community events and festivals, or a list of volunteer drivers that could be used by more than one organization, collaborate to develop joint training and recognition events).

Use community awareness night as a tool for recruiting volunteers (consider volunteer “speed-dating” technique)

4 CED Department, CPO’s

✓

Facilitate communication between the Town and community groups to identify and coordinate training and organizational needs.

2 Communications, CED Department, Recreation Board

✓

Support the development of a Volunteer Devon Facebook page where people can seek volunteers or find volunteer opportunities.

4 FCSS/CED Department,

Communications

✓

Help community organizations to understand volunteer needs (short term, need for variety, learning new things, social engagement) so they can offer volunteer opportunities/ positions which are attractive to citizens.

4 FCSS/CED Department,

Citizen/Groups

✓

Promote volunteering as an opportunity for personal growth, fun, social interaction etc.

4 Communications Coordinator, CED

Department, Citizens

✓

53

Appendix E: Recommendations to be addressed through the Communications Plan

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Improve Town website navigation so that citizens can access the parks, recreation and culture information they seek in 4 or fewer mouse clicks

2 Communications ✓

Create an internal communications strategy to guide staff in processes, share key messaging, provide coaching and templates, and increase staff morale and engagement.

1 Communications ✓ ✓

Provide staff with protocol for addressing complaints and handling communications for common issues in parks, recreation and culture.

3 Communications ✓

54

Appendix F: Recommendations to include in the Community Engagement Plan

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Facilitate communication between the Town and community groups to identify and coordinate training and organizational needs.

2 Communications, CED Department, Recreation Board

✓

Develop a municipal Community Development Policy that encourages collaboration and partnerships with community groups and the private sector.

1 Council, CAO, SMT, CED Department

✓

Formally establish processes for gathering community feedback that will develop the Town’s understanding of stakeholder needs and service priorities.

1 SMT, Recreation Board, CED Department

✓

55

Appendix G: Recommendations to be addressed through FCSS Strategies (Early Childhood Development and Older Adult frameworks)

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Encourage an age-friendly community approach in Devon. 2 FCSS Coordinator, SMT, All

Departments

✓ ✓

Develop a holistic foundational framework to build healthy babies, children, parents and communities

2 FCSS Coordinator, CED Department

✓ ✓

56

Appendix H: Recommendations for Town of Devon Human Resources

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Hire a full-time Human Resources Manager. 4 Council, CAO

Hire a full-time IT Coordinator. 4 Council, CAO

Establish an employee recruitment and retention strategy. 4 CAO, SMT, Council

Develop a formalized Human Resources program with resources and staffing to support the organizational vision and mission.

2 CAO, SMT, Human

Resources Coordinator

Develop HR policies to support leadership development and a culture of learning.

3 CAO, SMT ✓

Develop an effective organization-wide performance monitoring, evaluation, and management program.

4 SMT, Human Resources Coordinator

✓

57

Appendix I: Recommendations to be addressed through the River Valley Trails Master Plan

Action Items Suggested

Priority (1 to 5

1 = most important)

Path 1 Leadership Champion (e.g. Dept,

Council, Committee)

Path 2 Short Term

Initiative (prior to Dec

2016)

Path 3 Long Term Planning

(2017-2020)

Address the issue of the need for a policy regarding the use of bikes on creekside trails within the River Valley Trails Master Plan.

3 Rec Board, Citizens, P&I and

CED Departments

✓

Address the issue of the need to categorize trails by purpose and classification within the River Valley Trails Master Plan.

3 Rec Board, Citizens, P&I and

CED Departments

✓

Complete and activate recommendations of a trail system master plan.

2 Council, Rec Board, CAO, CED

& P&I Departments

✓

58

Bibliography Alberta Health Services (May 4, 2011). Community and Rural Health Planning Framework, Devon/Leduc Workshop [PowerPoint Presentation]. Slides 1-83. Alpine Bike Parks Family Friendly Recreation, Expedition Management Consulting, and LEES + Associates Landscape Architects Planners, and (November 2015). Town of Devon River Valley Trails Master Plan Final Report. Alberta Recreation & Parks Association (2009). Alberta Recreation and Parks Association Communication Strategy and Plan 2010-2012. Alberta Recreation & Parks Association (2009). Bulletin 2: Objectives and strategies for the integration of recreation, parks and open space in regional plans. Alberta Recreation & Parks Association (2006). Municipal Green Space Allocation. Practice and protocol in Alberta communities. Alberta Recreation & Parks Association (2010). The role of recreation, parks and open space in regional planning. Working guidelines report. Alberta Recreation & Parks Association Professional Development and Education Committee (2009). Understanding and applying recreation and parks practitioner vocational competencies draft. Balmer, Ken (2011). Rethinking Leisure Services: Trendscan - Prediction - Prescription. Prepared for the 2011 National Recreation Summit. Cameron, J. and Gibson, K. (2001). Shifting focus: Alternative pathways for communities and economies, A resource kit. University of Newcastle and University of Western Sydney. Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (2005). Everybody gets to play™ recreation without borders: Community mobilization toolkit. Canadian Parks/Recreation Association (1997). The Benefits Catalogue. ISBN: 0-919963-62-5, http://benefitshub.ca/

59

Canadian Parks and Recreation Association and Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council (2014). Framework for Recreation in Canada 2015: Pathways to Wellbeing – Final, http://www.cpra.ca/UserFiles/File/EN/sitePdfs/initiatives/National%20Framework/Framework%20For%20Recreation%20In%20Canada_EN2.pdf City of London (2015). Strategic plan for the City of London 2015 – 2019: Draft strategies tabled for public consultation January 12, 2015. City of St. Albert (2012). Cultural Master Plan: Cultivating Community, January 2012. City of Toronto (2004). Accessibility Design Guidelines. Devon & District Chamber of Commerce (2013). Festival Court Proposal 2013. District of Saanich, B.C. (March 2013). Parks, recreation and culture master plan. Gies, E. (2006). The health benefits of parks: How parks help keep Americans and their communities fit and healthy. The Trust for Public Land, ISBN-13 978-1-932807-08-0, www.tpl.org Government of Alberta. Going the distance: The Alberta sport plan 2012-2014. AlbertaSportPlan.ca Government of Alberta (2008). Alberta Recreation Survey 2008. Summary of Results. Government of Alberta (2013). Alberta Recreation Survey 2013. Report March 2014. Government of Alberta (2014). Alberta’s Strategic Approach to Wellness. Alberta Health, March 2014. Government of Canada (2003). Physical Activity and Sport Act, S.C.2003 C.2. Alberta Recreation & Parks Association (2014). High Five Handbook 2014. Grassroots Enterprises (2008). A toolkit for community leaders. Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, ISBN 978-0-968-1604-2-8

60

Grassroots Enterprises (2008). Tools: 10 Steps for community development. Part of: A toolkit for community leaders. Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, ISBN 978-0-968-1604-2-8 Harper, J (2011). Public Perceptions of and Attitudes Towards Community Recreation and Parks Services: In Canada, Recreation and Parks Matter. Prepared for the 2011 National Recreation Summit. Herchmer, B. (2013). Community building for the recreation practitioner. Grassroots Enterprises, 2013. ISBN 978-0-968-1604-4-2 Kretzmann, J.P., McKnight, J.L. with Dobrowolski, S., and Puntenney, D. Ph.D. (2005). Discovering community power: A guide to mobilizing local assets and your organization’s capacity. A community building workbook from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute, School of Education and Social Policy. Kretzmann, J.P., McKnight, J.L. , and Puntenney, D. Ph.D. (1998). A guide to creating a neighbourhood information exchange: Building communities by connecting local skills and knowledge. A community building workbook from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. Morris, N. (2003). Health, well-being and open space: Literature review. OPENspace: the research centre for inclusive access to outdoor environments, Edinburgh College of Art and Heriot-Watt University. OPENspace@eca.ac.uk National Recreation Summit (2011). Canada’s 2011 National Recreation Summit. Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, October 23rd to 26th 2011 Proceedings Report. Parks and Recreation Ontario and The Ontario Task Group on Access to Recreation (n.d.). Every One Plays: Access to recreation for low-income families in Ontario. Promising practices guide. Parks Canada Agency (2014). Connecting Canadians with nature: An investment in the well-being of our citizens. Canadian Parks Council, ISBN 978-0-9809372-4-4, www.parks-parcs.ca Recreation Nova Scotia (April 2003). Towards a National Agenda for Recreation. Charting a course: the Nova Scotia response. Sallis, J.F., et. al., (2015). Co-benefits of designing communities for active living: an exploration of literature. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (2015) 12:30 DOI 10.1186/12966-015-0188-2

61

Shelton, G., and Harber, V. (2013). Becoming a Canadian Sport For Life Community 2.0. Canadian Sport For Life, Victoria, B.C. ISBN 978-1-927921-00-5, CS$L.ca/resources Snow, L.K. (2001). Community transformation: Turning threats into opportunities. A community building workbook from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. Town of Devon (May 1998). Alberta’s Capital River Valley…nature at our doorstep. An integrated concept plan executive summary. Town of Devon (May 2012). Town of Devon Facility Development Plan. Business plan for a multi-plex facility. http://www.devon.ca/Portals/0/Docs/Plans%20and%20Reports/PTR-Devon-BusinessPlan_2012-05-11.pdf Town of Devon (July 2012). Town of Devon Facility Development Plan. http://www.devon.ca/Portals/0/Docs/Plans%20and%20Reports/PTR_Devon_FacilityDevPlan_2012-07-24-lowresMP2.pdf Town of Devon (September 2003). Town of Devon Indoor Pool Opinion Survey Report. Town of Devon (February 2011). The Town of Devon River Valley Master Plan. Town of Devon Land Use Bylaw No. 667/99. (July 2014). Town of Devon Policy 4023. Recreation / Leisure Development Contribution. (March 2010). Town of Devon Policy 4101. Engineering Design Standards. (October 2008). Ungar, M., Community resilience for youth and families: Facilitative physical and social capital in contexts of adversity. Children and Youth Services Review (2011), doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.04.027 Volunteer Canada (2012). The Canadian code for volunteer involvement: Values, guiding principles and standards of practice. www.volunteer.ca