Calgary could lose almost 1,000 playgrounds over the next decade unless city council approves a major funding boost, according to a new municipal report that warns aging infrastructure and rapid growth are pushing the system to a breaking point.<\/p>\n
Calgary\u2019s playground network, more than 80 per cent of which is at risk, faces a potential wave of closures without nearly $200 million in new investment. <\/p>\n
At Shouldice Athletic Park, where families gather daily, the idea feels unthinkable.<\/p>\n
Residents say the stakes are clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me feel sad,\u201d said James Lawson. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to keep the playgrounds maintained so the structures are still safe to be used, and kids can get out there and get off their phones and get exercising.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another parent, Bree, said losing playgrounds would be \u201creally unfortunate,\u201d adding that the city should do \u201cwhatever we need to do to make sure our playgrounds are staying open and well maintained.\u201d<\/p>\n
City officials stress the issue isn\u2019t just about swings and slides, it\u2019s about how Calgary grows. Mayor Jeromy Farkas said the conversation must include year\u2011round usability, drainage issues, and the broader question of how the city builds for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number of playgrounds misses the deeper point,\u201d he said. \u201cHow we grow needs to change, and how we build needs to change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly noted that access varies widely across neighbourhoods. <\/p>\n
\u201cFurther north in Ward 4, there\u2019s plenty of playgrounds,\u201d he said. \u201cFurther south, there aren\u2019t very many. That decision needs to be made on a neighbourhood\u2011by\u2011neighbourhood basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report shows Calgary currently has about five playgrounds for every 1,000 children, more than six when school playgrounds are included, putting the city ahead of many comparable municipalities in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. But more than half of those playgrounds are already over 20 years old and nearing the end of their lifespan.<\/p>\n
City administration is recommending nearly $19 million annually to repair or replace aging structures. Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot says the city should also explore creative funding options.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart naming some of the playgrounds after major donors,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m happy to support the recommendations because I don\u2019t want to lose playgrounds. The question is, where is the money going to come from?\u201d<\/p>\n
If the committee endorses the plan this week, it will still require final approval from full city council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Calgary could lose almost 1,000 playgrounds over the next decade unless city council approves a major funding boost,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":607187,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":["post-607186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=607186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/607187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=607186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=607186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=607186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}