To the Bloordale Baseball Community:
Toronto’s Parks and Rec General Manager Jim Hart has filed a 23-page report that is calling once again for fees in 2013 at half the level suggested for 2012. This will still have a large impact on our league, players and families. (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THE REPORT)
This report goes to the City Council Executive Committee for discussion AND public deputation on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. (We are not sure when it will come up on the agenda but that is when the meeting starts). The baseball community will have a prepared deputant at the meeting but we still need your help.
The major recommendations of the report are as follows:
1. Sports field permit fees for children and youth organizations be introduced in 2013 at the following rates (including HST):
a. $6/hour for A fields; (Millwood 1)
b. $4/hour for B fields;
c. $2/hour for C fields; and (Millwood 2, Neilson, Broadacres)
d. $2/hour (plus tax) for dry pads. (Not applicable to Bloordale)
2. The General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation undertake the steps outlined in this report to strengthen the City’s partnership with sports organizations and to improve the quality of sports fields and report back to Council after the 2013 season.
3. The permit fees for 2014 be set through the User Fee Review process, and that any increases to the 2013 fees beyond the annual inflationary increases be phased in over time, with appropriate consultation and in a manner that allows the sports groups to adjust their fees accordingly.
4. The General Manager of Parks, Forestry, and Recreation explore the option of creating a new fee for lit fields (NOTE: which is part of the A field classification of which Millwood 1 is classified as) and facilities to recover a portion of the electricity costs for each lit field and report back through the User Fee Review process. (NOTE: This would have a direct impact on teams using Millwood 1 and would increase Bloordale costs substantially)
The entire tone of the report is written as if the fees are a 100 per cent sure thing coming in 2013. But they do have to be approved by the executive committee first and then must be approved by the full council in July. We still have time to influence the decision.
This weekend there are a number of meetings being held within the Etobicoke Baseball Association (EBA) and the Toronto Baseball Association (TBA) and with the Toronto Sports Council (TSC) to develop our response strategy. Leading up to this report being written, there were two public meetings held to discuss the issue of playing field permit fees, field conditions and volunteer contributions to maintaining fields (one was hosted by the Toronto Sports Council and attended by the city staffer writing the report and one meeting hosted by the City). Bloordale’s Communications Director Wendy Kudeba and President Patrick McConnell attended the TSC meeting on behalf of Bloordale and EBA (along with a rep from Martingrove) and the City-hosted meeting was attended by the Martingrove Association rep on behalf of EBA and all the member associations. The content of those meetings is reflected in the report. Patrick McConnell also filled out an extensive online city survey on behalf of the league regarding permit fees, league volunteers, work done by league volunteers to maintain fields, league funds invested in public assets (diamonds), and league membership numbers and demographic breakdown.
Please take the time to read the report. It has far-reaching implications for the 2013 season and every year after.
Bloordale is also asking all convenors, coaches, team managers, and Bloordale family members to forward this link your baseball contacts / coaches / families / teams /anyone who might have an interest in minor sports and taxes in this city to get the word out about what is going on and to ask people to provide their comments on the report. Your comments should be emailed to [email protected] and copied to [email protected]
Also, please send any comments to our (Bloordale’s) local city councillor, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday, at:
[email protected]
or call his office at 416-392-4002
For the record, Deputy Mayor Holyday was extremely supportive during the first phase of our successful campaign to have permit fees deferred for 2012, as were all other City Councillors representing Etobicoke including:
Peter Milczyn [email protected] 416-392-4040
Mark Grimes [email protected] 416-397-9273
Gloria Lindsay-Luby [email protected] 416-392-1369
Doug Ford [email protected] 416-397-9255
Vincent Crisanti [email protected] 416-392-0205
It was a strong community voice reaching out to our council representatives that helped win the day. We need to do that again in the next phase of our campaign for 2013, which you may not be aware will mark BLOORDALE’S 60th ANNIVERSARY. If you have any questions regarding this issue, please direct them to [email protected] and Patrick McConnell will answer them to the best of his knowledge.
Thanks again for all your help in spreading the word.