SPORT4ONTARIO & SPACE Coalition

SPACE News

For everything you need to know about the SPACE Coalition, visit their website!

July 2014 

The SPACE Coalition had some exciting guests at our last meeting. We were very privileged to have Diane Dyson from Woodgreen Community Services and Annie Kidder from People for Education in to talk about their work and some of our shared objectives. The conversation with Annie Kidder was focused primarily on preventing school closures, as many schools provide valuable space for sport and community groups to meet and carry out activities. We also had the opportunity to speak about Community Hubs with Diane Dyson, who is leading some cutting edge research on the topic, and suggests moving forward some“radical” ideas with respect to how schools, as a public asset, are used for community purposes.   
Stay tuned by following our newly established twitter account @SPACEONTARIO


May 2014

The SPACE Coalition has been busy working away on a number of projects and initiatives. We are determining our objectives for the upcoming provincial election, and even endeavouring into some uncharted territory for the group – social media! Meaghan helped the coalition set up a twitter account and gave a quick rundown of how to best leverage the technology to advance our cause & share best practices. You can now follow us at @SPACEONTARIO

April 2014

We’re into some exciting times with the SPACE Coalition! We’re currently undergoing a strategic planning process following the release of the province-wide report on access to public space in Ontario. Once we have a better idea of where our objectives lie, we’ll be sure to let you know how you can support us as we move forward to advocate for accessible and affordable use of public assets. In the meantime, we have also gone out of our comfort zone by hosting a SPACE Coalition meeting in Newmarket with a number of local residents, organizations, and municipal representatives. From the meeting it is clear that Newmarket is in much the same situation as the rest of the province, and we hope to have gained some new allies in
this exploratory process. 

SPACE Reports

It All Begins with Space: Who Has It, How to Get It Summary of the Community Forum and Implementation Summit
On April 25th and 26th, 2013 the SPACE Coalition hosted a Community Forum and an Implementation Summit which brought together diverse groups and individuals from across Toronto to discuss ways we could work to increase access to a fundamental community asset – public space. The April 25th Community Forum provided an opportunity for 80 community... Continue reading

NEW Report from the SPACE Coalition 
The SPACE Coalition and Social Planning Toronto present new research on the importance of having access to safe places for youth (and all residents) to gather and play: It All Begins with Space: Maximizing use of public assets for engaged and healthier neighbourhoods in Toronto Access to space connects the pieces with regard to human... Continue reading

New Ontario-wide report from SPACE Coalition and Social Planning Toronto!
Public Space for Public Use: A Review of Community Access to School and Municipal Facilities in Ontario
This report reveals the connection between increases in permit fees for users of school and municipal spaces and the cancellation or reduction of community programs. Greater fees pose real threats to non-profit and community groups that strive to be accessible and inclusive while relying on limited resources. All levels of government need to come together and create an integrated strategy to address barriers to public space.