The Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan involves:

• Parks: The parkland and natural areas that provide places for play and leisure
• Recreation: The facilities, services, and programming that activate our public spaces, including indoor and outdoor facilities, play equipment and infrastructure
• Culture: The facilities, services and programming that highlight our community’s identity, including libraries, heritage, visual and performing arts.
• Trails: The links between our communities that encourage active lifestyles and exploring our natural features

The Master Plan will map out Clarington’s current resources and assets, create a vision and make recommendations for future spaces and services that are fiscally and environmentally sustainable while suiting the unique needs of the community for the next 10 to 15 years.

Clarington has been the fastest-growing Municipality in Durham Region between 1996 and 2021. This is expected to continue over the next 30 years to reach our population forecast of 221,000 people—an increase of 110 percent.

We know Clarington is a great place to live in part because of our recreation facilities, parks and green space. As we grow, Clarington remains committed to maintaining our parkland standards and expanding community services.

The Parks, Recreation, and Culture Master Plan will help make sure we’re planning for complete communities that continue to provide a great quality of life. The Master Plan will help us understand the complete picture of our current resources and recommend how we can build on them to create a thriving system of parks, recreation and culture, programming, services and facilities. It will also be used to inform other initiatives, such as the Active Transportation Master Plan.

Clarington’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan was developed through extensive community engagement (open houses, online surveys and written submissions), staff consultation (workshops, advisory committees, board meetings and council interviews) and data collection, review and analysis.

Many factors helped inform the recommendations, including:

• Clarington’s projected population growth

• The current use-rates for existing facilities and programs

• Projected uptake for future programs and facilities, based on data trends

• Average household income and median age

• Diversity, equity and inclusion

• Impacts of Climate Change

• Population densities in rural areas, urban centres and Major Transit Station Areas (Bowmanville GO and Courtice GO)

• Impacts of provincial legislation on parkland dedications (i.e. Bill 23)

• Budget allocation

• … and more

Parkland Recommendations:

• Acquire 105.3 hectares of additional parkland to achieve an updated service target of 2.0 hectares per 1,000 residents. This includes 52.6 hectares of Municipal Wide Park and Community Park, 48.7 hectares of Neighbourhood Park, and 4.0 hectares of Parkette/Urban Park and Square.
• Initiate a site selection process to identify and purchase a minimum of 30 hectares of land to create a sports complex to address long-term sports field needs.
• Prepare a Park Renewal Strategy to identify opportunities to renew aging components, replace and/or repurpose amenities to address community needs, and/or enhance parks with new amenities.
• Park designs (including the former Zoo lands) should be inclusive and accessible, support climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability, and incorporate Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles.
• Update the Municipality’s Official Plan and Parkland and Open Space Dedication By-law to ensure that they align with the amended Planning Act to support the dedication of programmable parkland.

Trails and Waterfront Recommendations:

• Continue to update Clarington’s Waterfront Strategy with a focus on maximizing public access, economic development, comfort features and amenities, and protecting and preserving the natural environment.
  • Evaluate the feasibility of providing special events along the waterfront (e.g. music or movies at the waterfront).
  • Explore opportunities to create or designate space for an outdoor amphitheater for performing arts, cultural activities and other rentals.
  • Identify strategic locations for picnic areas, outdoor fitness equipment, playgrounds and water activities.
  • Support local economic development opportunities such as retail and restaurants in strategic areas in proximity to the waterfront.
  • Preserve and protect environmentally sensitive areas such as the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area.
  • Secure waterfront properties as opportunities emerge, either through purchase or other agreements such as long-term leases to increase public access to the waterfront.

• Use the Master Plan’s recommended conceptual trail network to guide future development.
  • Work with others to strengthen connectivity within and between settlement areas, including linking residents to the waterfront and existing trails (including non-municipal trails), and creating a “circle of green” around Bowmanville.
  • Establish trails within future residential areas, particularly in Secondary Plan Areas.
  • Create designated circulation areas within new and redeveloped parks.
  • Incorporate comfort features and amenities to encourage use such as shade and seating.
  • Strategically increase winter snow clearing to encourage year-round use with consideration given to using salt alternatives and being Smart About Salt Certified.
  • Have regard for the Municipality’s Active Transportation Master Plan and Wayfinding Strategy to ensure seamless connectivity.

Recreation and Facility Recommendations:

• Construct an indoor aquatic centre designed for community programming and competitions at the South Bowmanville Recreation Centre; timing should coincide with the current development of a soccer dome and gymnasium. Ideally, the design would accommodate a future branch library.
• Evaluate the feasibility of enhancing the indoor aquatic centre at the Courtice Community Complex to support community programming, including enlarging changerooms, constructing a warm water therapy pool, and redesigning the teaching pool to reflect what’s available at the Diane Hamre Recreation Complex.
• Expand the Courtice Arena to add two new ice pads with an indoor walking track. Timing for development should be confirmed as part of a five-year Master Plan update based on a review of arena utilization, participation, and other factors. In the shorter-term, engage adjacent municipalities such as Oshawa to negotiate access for arena users and continue to work with Arena Boards in Newcastle and Orono to maximize ice use.
• Continue to work with rural community hall partners to explore expanding recreation and leisure opportunities for the rural community. Identify opportunities at key hall locations to accommodate library storage lockers and vending machines should be considered to improve rural and hamlet service.
• Over the medium and long-term, evaluate opportunities to accommodate new rectangular fields and ball diamonds at new parks, including potentially at a future sports complex and other park locations. Explore alternatives to meet sports field needs such as permitting school fields and working with other landowners.
• Identify a suitable site for a full-size cricket field. Once this has been established, monitor usage to determine the future of the existing location at Courtice Memorial Park.
• Construct new neighbourhood-level park facilities in growing residential areas in Bowmanville, Courtice, and Newcastle, including tennis courts, pickleball courts, basketball courts, splash pads, skate zones, and playgrounds. New park facilities in the rural areas should be considered in strategic locations to strengthen geographic distribution.
• Establish a new off-leash dog park in north Bowmanville.
• Prepare an Accessible Playground Distribution Strategy to identify locations for enhanced and focused accessibility features.
• Enhance opportunities to provide outdoor productions and performances such as along the waterfront and at the former Zoo lands. A feasibility study to confirm the need for an indoor performing arts venue should be prepared.
• The following strategy is recommended to meet library facility space requirements by 2036 with consideration for modern, inclusive, and flexible design.
  • Construct 20,000 square feet of library space in Bowmanville. A portion should be located at the South Bowmanville Recreation Centre, if feasible, through a future addition and the remainder should be at another site, preferably in the north end and co-located with a community facility.
  • Expand the Courtice Library Branch to add approximately 10,200 square feet of library space or at an alternative location.
  • Add 2,100 square feet of library space at the Newcastle Library Branch.
  • Increase library access to smaller hamlets and the rural area through a bookmobile and other strategies such as storage lockers and vending machines.

Service Recommendations:

• Develop a strategy to assist the Municipality and CLMA to identify and engage underrepresented populations in parks, recreation, culture, and library opportunities with regard for key actions such as the Municipality’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Strategy.
• Regularly review the Fee Assistance Program and adjust funding levels and eligibility requirements to recognize the increasing cost of programs and services and to ensure that residents continue to benefit from this program.
• Create a Public Art Policy to guide in the evaluation and approval of art installations. A Public Art Reserve should be established to fund acquisition, development, installation, and maintenance.
• The Municipality, CLMA, and others should expand and build upon a full range of programming (e.g., STEAM, outdoor programming, sports, etc.) to engage all residents and maximize the use of space, as well as connect with residents virtually.
• Study the feasibility of updating the Visual Arts Centre, including enhancing accessibility and modernizing the building to strengthen program opportunities.
• Undertake a cultural mapping exercise to identify and promote cultural resources that are available from the Municipality, CLMA, and other providers.