More Rec Facilities Opening Soon, Rental Rates Reduced and Recreation Fee Assistance Increased

Recreation
Written By

*Please see media release below issued by the City of Burlington.Burlington, Ont.—Aug. 17, 2020 —At the Aug. 13 Council Meeting, Burlington City Council approved the Recreation Services Redesign plan for the fall to slowly reopen more recreational facilities including rinks and indoor pools to increase the number of recreational programming, activities and rentals available to Burlington residents. Fall recreation programs and registration dates will be posted on burlington.ca/fall soon.City Council also approved a rental rate reduction of 25 per cent and added more funds to support Recreation Fee Assistance.The rental rate reduction will help off-set the reduced revenue recreation providers are experiencing due to smaller group sizes, cleaning and additional costs associated with COVID-19.

"We know COVID-19 has been hard on our community organizations and recreation businesses who rent our facilities. We hope the temporary 25 per cent reduction on rental rates will help them continue to provide a wide variety of opportunities to residents. Recreation and community programming provides a lot of value for participants, families and the community as a whole." --  Denise Beard, Acting Director of Recreation Services

Recreation Fee AssistanceRecreation is for all, regardless of financial situation. Recreation Fee Assistance is funding made available to resident individuals or families who need help to pay for City of Burlington recreation programs.For more information or to apply see burlington.ca/feeassistance. You can also leave a confidential voicemail message at 905-335-7738, ext. 8501 and our staff will return your call to assist you.Arenas and Indoor PoolsSome indoor pools and rinks will open for fall programs and rentals.Indoor pools opening will include Angela Coughlan and Centennial Pool. Nelson Pool, weather permitting, will stay open until Thanksgiving, Oct. 12, 2020.Central Arena is open. Appleby Arena ice pads 3 and 4 will open soon. Other arenas will open once demand for ice rentals reach 40-60 hours per week at each arena.Stay tuned for recreational skating programs to resume later this fall.MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:Reducing our City rental fees will help our local businesses continue to provide valued recreational programming amid reduced numbers due to COVID-19. Increasing the funding for fee assistance to residents will help ensure everyone can participate in city programs, regardless of income.—PLEASE NOTE: To stay updated on what the City of Burlington is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit the dedicated pages burlington.ca/coronavirus (and subscribe) and bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page — bit.ly/COVID19BurlingtonFAQ that are updated as new information becomes available.A Burlington COVID-19 Task Force has been created to help support our community through this unprecedented emergency — updates will be provided at burlington.ca/COVID19taskforce.To report an incident of non-compliance with provincial emergency orders, please contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.We’ve also created a dedicated page to feature the local organizations and businesses that have inspired us during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking action to support our community in new and creative ways — head to bit.ly/covidwallofinspiration.HELPFUL RESOURCES & RELATED LINKS:

—*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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