News
EDIA Highlight: The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg's PRO Fund
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"Adults deserve the same access to recreation as our youth, and funding opportunities for them to participate are few and far between."
Many programs in Nova Scotia support participation in recreation, but often, they focus on youth participants. The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has established a program that provides financial support to adults aged 19 and above to enjoy recreational activities. This month's Promising Practice/Success Story will highlight the PRO Fund, which is making recreation more affordable and accessible for adults.
The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is the third-largest rural municipality in Nova Scotia, with a population of over 24,863. The Municipality expanded its PRO Kids Fund in 2024 after a municipal councillor attended a session at the Association of Municipal Administrators Nova Scotia Conference. The PRO Fund is a financial assistance program for adults aged 19 and above who reside in the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. It supports those who, due to a lack of financial resources, would not otherwise be able to participate in recreational, sports, or cultural activities.
Lunenburg's Program Coordinator, Tissy Bolivar, says that once the municipal council decided to move forward with the program, implementation was quite simple: "We received a grant from [the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage] to help launch the program. We had an existing policy for our PRO Kids program, which we amended to include the newly formed PRO Fund program."
The PRO Fund launched on April 1st, 2024. Tissy says the first year of the program was a big success: "We funded 22 adults [for] nearly $15,000 in the 2024-2025 fiscal year." Activities funded through the program include hockey, fitness memberships, pickleball, horseback riding, music lessons, sailing and curling. Tissy says people who received funding through the program were quite diverse, "Participants ranged in age from 19-75+, with varying abilities and backgrounds, from all across our Municipality." One program participant says the PRO Fund made recreation accessible, "I'm truly grateful for this opportunity that I would otherwise not be able to pursue without support. I'm excited!"
When asked if she had any advice for organizations considering a similar project, Tissy said to do it! "Adults deserve the same access to recreation as our youth, and funding opportunities for them to participate are few and far between," Tissy says. The municipality is grateful to be able to offer funding support for recreation to all residents of the Municipality!
Do you have a promising practice or success story you would like to share with the recreation sector? Contact Kerri Jack at
Nova Scotia Represented at the Canadian Inclusive Green Spaces Symposium
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The recreation sector of Nova Scotia was well represented at the recent Canadian Inclusive Green Spaces Symposium hosted in Saskatoon by the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) and the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA). The event was organized in partnership with Park People and the Canadian Parks Council, with support from Parks Canada.
The symposium brought together leaders and professionals from across the country to explore strategies and share innovations that ensure everyone can enjoy the benefits of nature. This event served as a catalyst for long-term impact by building a connected national community of practice, supporting the development of a path forward for equitable park access, and setting a forward-looking agenda for the Canadian parks sector. It marks the beginning of an ongoing and collaborative dialogue, fostering a sustainable platform for consultation, partnership, and collective action to centre reconciliation and reimagine urban parks and green spaces across the country.
RNS Executive Director Graham Mounsey attended the event and engaged in strategic meetings with partners from coast to coast. RNS Board Member and Past-President, Rachel Bedingfield, co-hosted the symposium alongside Chúk Odenigbo, while Municipality of Chester's Gord Tate was appointed as CPRA’s new President during the week. This was an exciting milestone for Nova Scotia’s recreation leadership.
Fawn Logan-Young, RNS’s Equity and Anti-Racism Coordinator, made a meaningful contribution by opening the symposium with a powerful African Ancestral Acknowledgment. Adding to the Nova Scotian presence on stage, Dalhousie University MA Leisure Studies student Agustina Cohen presented their master’s research on empowering diverse youth voices to enhance equitable access to nature and well-being in Nova Scotia.
This gathering underscored the importance of collaboration and equity in the design and stewardship of inclusive green spaces, reinforcing RNS’s ongoing commitment to ensuring recreation and natural spaces are welcoming and accessible to all.
Congratulations Gord!
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Congratulations to Gord Tate!
We’re thrilled to celebrate Gord Tate, of the Municipality of Chester, as the new President of the Canadian Parks & Recreation Association (CPRA).
Gord was officially elected at the CPRA AGM in Saskatoon this week, ahead of the Canadian Inclusive Green Spaces Symposium, succeeding Howie Dayton as the Chair of the national organization for recreation and parks.
We’re proud to see Nova Scotia represented so well on the national stage. We wish Gord all the best as he leads CPRA in advancing recreation and parks for all Canadians!
Gord spent his early career working in recreation in Northern BC and Halifax. He owned a kayak outfitting company before relocating to the Municipality of Chester, where he has served as the Active Living Coordinator for the past fifteen years. In this position, Gord has sought to inspire and activate citizens, and create a culture of physical activity that is supported by the built environment and policy changes necessary to sustain the change. He’s recently transitioned to the position of Recreation Facility and Open Space Lead, where, on behalf of the municipality, he’ll help shape the next generation of recreation opportunities.
Gord is a highly respected leader in the recreation sector with a demonstrated commitment to advancing and supporting efforts to enhance the field. His work at the municipal level with the Municipality of Chester has exemplified innovation and collaboration while demonstrating alignment with and focus on emerging issues in the parks and recreation sector, such as equity and anti-racism, climate resilience, and workforce development.
In addition to being a former President of Recreation Nova Scotia, Gord has served on the Board of CPRA since 2019 and has chaired the Finance and Risk Management Committee for the past two years.
Nova Scotia Celebrates 2025 International Day of Play with Province-wide Events & Resources
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Play is a right, not a privilege! On June 11, 2025, Nova Scotia is coming together for the International Day of Play(IDoP)—a celebration of movement, creativity, and connection. Whether you're in Halifax or a small community, there are free events, tools, and resources to help you bring the power of play to life.
The IDOP celebrates and raises awareness of the right to play, as enshrined in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the most widely ratified human rights treaty.
From June 2-11, find key events happening in downtown Halifax and across Nova Scotia in celebration of this day and its theme, "Choose Play - Every Day."
For more information and resources visit the International Day of Play page and read the pdf official media release.(227 KB)
Recreation's Response: Building Climate Resilience Together
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Extreme weather, changing seasons, closed spaces - climate change is already reshaping how, where, and if we recreate.
After exploring this topic at the 2024 RNS Conference, Recreation Nova Scotia is committed to continuing the conversation around climate change and its impact on recreation. We aim to create spaces for individuals and organizations throughout the province to come together, share experiences, and collaborate on solutions for adapting recreation to the evolving environmental landscape.
As a result of these collaborative discussions, we intend to build a Framework for Community Networking, Capacity Building, and Information Sharing related to Climate Change Impact, Adaptation and Resilience.
Let’s discuss what we’re seeing, share what’s working, and build a resilient future together. By filling out a brief survey, you will help shape future discussions and guide the direction of this project.
The link to the survey can be found here.
EDIA Highlights: North Nova Highlanders Equipment Loan Program
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"The more barriers we can eliminate for underrepresented communities, the more joy we can spread."
Glenna Ingraham is the head coach of the North Nova Highlanders, a female baseball program for girls ages 5-18 in the Highland Region. The North Nova Highlanders provide opportunities to play baseball recreationally and competitively within the Bluenose League of Baseball Nova Scotia. Glenna has been coaching baseball for over 20 years but says her life changed when she started coaching the girls' program six years ago. During that time, she was named Baseball Nova Scotia's Coach of the Year, received the Determination Award and was selected for the Sport Make a Difference Award last year for her work growing female baseball across Nova Scotia.
One way in which Glenna has helped to grow female baseball in the Highland Region has been through her very successful equipment loan program. The organization received an equity, diversity and inclusion grant from Sport Nova Scotia to build an equipment loan program which included bats, helmets, gloves and cleats. The equipment is available to program participants free of charge. Users sign out what they need and keep it for as long as they need.
Glenna created the program because of the high cost of baseball equipment. The goal was to make the North Nova Highlanders program more accessible to families. "Many families struggle to pay registration fees and purchase new equipment, and sometimes girls are unsure if they will like a sport. Removing one barrier allows girls to try the sport. If they don't enjoy it, the parents haven't paid for equipment that will sit in a closet unused."
Glenna says the program is popular, "Every year, most of the equipment gets loaned out and has always been returned. I have seen our numbers grow significantly and have had positive feedback from parents saying what a help it was." The amount and variety of equipment in the program continue to grow yearly, with families donating personal equipment when they no longer need or use it.
Many parents have shared that they would not have been able to participate in activities through the North Nova Highlanders without the equipment loan program. One parent noted that the program was helpful in the beginning stages of trying the sport, "Being able to borrow equipment until we see whether she likes baseball is great."
Glenna advises organizations considering starting a similar program: "Start small if you have to, but the more barriers we can eliminate for underrepresented communities, the more joy we can spread."