OLBA forms Toronto Action Committee
“We are quite concerned about the decrease in funding that occurred last year,” says James Rimmer, chair of OLBA’s marketing and sponsorship committee, who will also chair the action committee. “Our goal is to ensure the long-term viability of lawn bowling as a recreational activity in the City of Toronto.”
The committee held its inaugural meeting via videoconference on May 15, 2023. The first meeting was attended by representatives from Agincourt, Lawrence Park, Moore Park, West Toronto and Willowdale.
“We had good turnout to the first meeting,” says Rimmer. “But our expectation is that every lawn bowling club in Toronto will be represented as we get going. Regardless of whether a club is enjoying a good relationship with the city now, it’s In everyone’s best interest to work together.”
During the first meeting, clubs discussed the support they receive from the city and the challenges they currently face with greens, clubhouses and other infrastructure. Committee members also discussed the implications of Toronto’s Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan 2019-2038, released in 2017. While the plan says “there is no demonstrated need for additional lawn bowling greens during the timeframe of this plan,” it’s important to note that the report does not suggest withdrawing support from the lawn bowling community.
Committee members also discussed the importance of recreational activities for everyone and the value that social interaction provides to the community.
“Numerous research studies have shown that social interaction as we age improves quality of life on a number of levels,” says Dennis Bedeau, president of Agincourt Lawn Bowling Club. “But limiting lawn bowling limits that interaction. Without infrastructure, we have no lawn bowling. And we cannot maintain that infrastructure without the city’s commitment and direct support.”
The committee plans to meet every two to three weeks over the summer months.
If you would like your club to participate, please complete the contact form that will go directly to chair James Rimmer.
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Councillor Cheng pays us a visit
Councillor Lily Cheng poses for a picture on the artificial surface on May 13, 2023. With her are (l-r) Don Rayko, Suzan Tari Vince Donohoe, Eric Bergman, Councillor Cheng, Gordon Jones.
Councillor Lily Cheng paid us a visit during our second open house on May 13, 2023.
She arrived about 3:15 p.m. and chatted with a number of people on site, but spent most of her time with a few members of the board of directors and other volunteers. She was originally scheduled to spend an hour, but spent almost two hours listening, asking questions and taking notes.
Board members outlined a number of issues the club is addressing, with emphasis on property management and the ongoing maintenance of the club’s natural lawn bowling greens. The discussion encompassed the lease arrangement for the property on which the club sits, and touched on potential ways in which lawn bowling can be marketed in the community.
“We even discussed conducting a corporate day for councillors that we would be delighted to host,” says Gordon Jones, president of Willowdale LBC. “Councillor Cheng listened to everything we had to say and also offered her own ideas as well. It was an excellent exchange.”
Councillor Cheng made it clear that she’s less interested in short-term solutions than she is in creating a long-term, sustainable framework—particularly when it comes to property management and greens maintenance.
During a spirited and engaging exchange, the councillor asked dozens of questions and took copious notes.
“This meeting was a great start to our relationship with the new councillor,” Jones says. “She seems to be absolutely committed to the Willowdale community. We’re looking forward to helping her to ensure that this facility continues to be a resource for Willowdale for generations to come.”
First open house successful
From there, about 15 people signed up for additional coaching. These folks will be provided with two to three additional coaching sessions over the next few weeks with the goal of turning them into full-time members.
Unfortunately, Councillor Cheng was unable to join us at our first open house. However, we’re looking forward to hosting her at another time during the 2023 season.
Our next open house is Saturday, May 13 at 1:00 p.m. Please join us to help out if you can.
Opening day starts strong
The opening day Spider Roll was won by a guest at the club (who we’re hoping to sign up into a full-time member). After that, it was game on.
Thanks to everyone who came out to kick off our 61st year as a lawn bowling club.
Toronto reduces lawn bowling support by 30%
During the fall of 2021, Willowdale’s board of directors made a freedom of information request that sought “Budget submissions by Golf Course operations for lawn bowling. Specifically, (we’re) looking for budgets approved by council that show line items to provide services to lawn bowling.”
The search yielded the following information:
The dates were chosen because 2016 was the year in which responsibility for managing natural lawn bowling greens was transferred to golf course operations. It was also the year after the national lawn bowling championships, co-hosted with Agincourt, were held on Willowdale’s greens.
“The city was responsible for managing our greens to championship status in 2015,” says Gordon Jones, president of Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club. “A lot has changed since 2016.”
Last. fall, another FOI request was made to update the information for 2022.
The request was initially denied, with the city writing:
“Staff of the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division have advised that despite a thorough search, they were unable to locate any records responsive to your request. Access therefore cannot be granted to those records as they do not exist.
“Staff have further advised that the City does not have any lawn bowling greens located on golf courses.”
This was an interesting response, to say the least. However, after a quick e-mail exchange with the city clerk’s office, and the lawyer responsible for Willowdale’s FOI requests, Willowdale received the following:
From 2021 to 2022, staffing support decreased by 30 per cent. Materials and supplies decreased by three per cent (during year in which fertilizer costs rose more than 30 per cent). Pickup truck costs rose by 25 per cent during a year in which staff support decreased by 30 per cent.
The 2.4 greenskeeper positions
The 2.4 greenskeeper positions identified in the 2021 freedom of information request were not mentioned in the 2022 follow-up.
In theory, based on the number of operational lawn bowling greens in Toronto, and with 2.4 full-time positions shared by all clubs, each lawn bowling club with two greens should have more than one full-time person-day per week at its facility. That bears repeating: One full-time person-day per week at each club with two greens. Four to five full-time person-days per month. Twenty-five to thirty person-days per club per year.
In a follow-up request to the city clerk’s office, Willowdale asked:
“Since 2016, when responsibility for care and maintenance of lawn bowling greens was transferred to golf course operations, along with resources in the form of budget and greenskeeper positions, how many times have those 2.4 positions been filled with greenskeepers specifically dedicated to the care, maintenance and upkeep of lawn bowling greens in Toronto?”
The city replied:
“The 2.4 Greenskeeper positions dedicated to the care, maintenance and upkeep of lawn bowling greens in Toronto have been filled in full once in 2018.”
Canary in the coal mine
Is lawn bowling the canary in the coal mine of the city’s recreation portfolio? Possibly. Based on what’s occurring with lawn bowling, should other recreational groups be concerned? Absolutely.
Regardless of whether or not the lawn bowling canary is singing, however, two things are very clear when it comes to natural greens at lawn bowling clubs.
First, if you’re going to have natural greens, you need a dedicated core of volunteers to maintain them. Treat those volunteers like gold. Never complain about the work they do. Ever. And never forget that they’re always looking for help.
And that brings us to the second point. They can’t do it alone. They need your help. And they need the city’s help.
The trick will be to find ways to bring number one and number two together.
How can the city use volunteers to stretch its resources and its budget? And how can volunteers take advantage of the city’s knowledge, equipment and people to meet the challenge of maintaining recreational infrastructure of reasonable quality?
Those, folks, are the 233,296-dollar questions assuming, of course, that Toronto’s lawn bowling community regains the heady budget heights it enjoyed in 2021.
And they’re the same questions that every other recreational group in Toronto should be asking.
Councillor Cheng to join us at open house
Councillor Change is the councillor for Ward 18 Willowdale. She took office on November 15, 2022, after winning the municipal election in October.
Her biography says that she has a track record of identifying issues in Willowdale and taking action.
She co-founded We Love Willowdale, a movement created after the tragic van attack five years ago to help the community grieve and heal. She has established programs and support for challenges often overlooked by government, including seniors accessing grocery shopping support during the pandemic.
She has also addressed social isolation by expanding Willowdale Neighbours Connect, an active online community she started for the neighbourhood that has helped many feel a deeper sense of belonging in Willowdale.
Her website says that her greatest strength is described as inspiring “connectivity and participation for the greater good” and “building the infrastructure necessary to make things happen.”
If you’re available, please join us at the open house. And please feel free to bring stories of how lawn bowling has created greater connectivity, social activity, fitness in your life.
We’re looking forward to working with Councillor Cheng to support the infrastructure we need to continue to offer lawn bowls to the Willowdale community.
Cleanup and startup gets us going
We swept floors, washed windows, worked on the centre green, performed moss control on the artificial surface and generally got the clubhouse and grounds ready for 2023.
And our efforts were supplemented with assistance from a group of student volunteers who were participating in our program to tap into the need for high school students to acquire 40 hours of volunteer service to graduate.
Thanks to everyone who helped out and participated. And thanks to Betty Tai for pictures to commemorate the event.
