News
Welcome RNS Board 2024-2025!
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Recreation Nova Scotia (RNS) would like to introduce our new Board of Directors for 2024-2025. We want to take a moment to welcome our new Board Members, Wallace Bernard, Recording Officer; Tissy Bolivar, Director at Large; Olivia Walker, Student Rep, and all our returning Board Members.
We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to outgoing Board Members Gord Tate, Gabrielle Riley Gallagher, and Joel Dawe for their leadership and direction over the years in their roles. We appreciate all you have done for RNS and the sector, and your contributions have been invaluable.
Thank you to outgoing President Rachel Bedingfield for your guidance over the past two years. We look forward to working with you as you transition into the Past-President role.
Wallace Bernard grew up in Wekoqmaq. He has earned a Recreation Leadership and Aboriginal Leadership Development diploma and has been heavily involved in Mikmaw sports and physical activity since then. Wallace has been on the Mission Staff for Team Mikmaw and Team Atlantic for the North American Indigenous Games and The Nation Aboriginal Hockey Championship. He was also on the Host Society Board for the North American Indigenous games. Wallace is very passionate about the outdoors. He likes finding new adventures, either a new waterfall, an epic mountain peak, or kayaking, no matter the season. Wallace likes showing people epic adventures and getting them outdoors. Wallace also volunteers with the local Cape Breton Search and Rescue.
Tissy Bolivar serves as the Program Coordinator for the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, bringing over 14 years of dedicated experience in municipal recreation. A graduate of Acadia University with a degree in Recreation Management, Tissy has consistently championed the role of recreation in enhancing community well-being. She is deeply committed to fostering inclusive, welcoming spaces that encourage participation for all. In her latest initiative, Tissy introduced the PRO Fund, an adult subsidy program designed to complement the existing PRO Kids program. This initiative ensures that all residents, regardless of financial status, can engage in recreational activities, reflecting Tissy's vision of recreation as a means to support and uplift every community member.
Olivia Walker is in her final year of Community Recreation at NSCC, Truro Campus. Growing up in Digby provided Olivia with many opportunities to develop leadership skills. These skills were developed through the Student Council, NSSSA and Me to We. Olivia also served one year as a DRHS School Advisory Committee student representative. In addition, she was trained to be a lifeguard and swim instructor for Digby Area Recreation Commission. This continued until Olivia graduated high school in 2020. In 2022, Olivia completed her studies at Kingstec NSCC as an Early Childhood Educator with honours. She values creating age-appropriate activities for growth and development and working alongside families.
Enrolling in the Community Recreation program enabled Olivia to obtain the position of Community Recreation Programmer for Digby Area Recreation. Olivia's goal as a Recreation Nova Scotia Board member is to be the voice for incoming students entering the recreation profession and learn from others already working in the field.
Meet the rest of the Board Members here.
RNS inspires and supports a diverse and comprehensive network of partners committed to addressing the recreation needs of all Nova Scotians through the provision of leadership and a strong provincial voice. Under the guidance and counsel from the Board, RNS can continue to champion, promote, and advocate for recreation as an essential element in building healthy, caring, and vibrant communities; facilitate the education and development of recreation professionals and volunteers; and promote connectivity between recreation sector professionals, influencers, and beneficiaries.
The Board of Directors will direct, control, and inspire Recreation Nova Scotia through the established written policies that reflect the values and perspectives of the Board, aiding in what is to be achieved and the means to be avoided. Cultivating a sense of group responsibility, we look forward to each Board Member bringing their individual expertise to enhance the Board as a whole and, therefore, the operations of RNS.
We look forward to working with you all over the next year!
EDIA Highlight Story: Halifax Central Library Receives Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certified Gold Ranking
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The Halifax Central Library celebrated a major accessibility accomplishment this past August, achieving the highest level of accessibility possible for the built environment. The library has earned 'RHF Accessibility Certified Gold,' the top accessibility rating under the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ program. The Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) is a national rating system for the built environment that measures and certifies accessibility. The system helps organizations understand the accessibility of a facility, how to identify barriers and what improvements can be made.
Halifax Central Library earned a rating score of 84% according to the RHFAC model, which is no easy accomplishment. An organization must score 80 percent or higher to achieve the gold certification. According to the Rick Hansen Foundation website, there are only 129+ sites that have achieved the gold certification, which shows Halifax Public Libraries' commitment to removing barriers and improving accessibility for community and staff of all abilities.
Here are some of the highlights from the Halifax Central Library's scorecard [from the Halifax Public Library's website]:
- Exterior approaches and entrances scored 86%
- Interior services and environment scored 85%
- Sanitary facilities scored 77%
- Wayfinding and signage scored 80%
- Evaluating mind-friendly environments scored 93%
- Technology and innovation scored 100%
Katie Wimmer, the Space Planning and Design Manager for the Halifax Central Library, says that designing and maintaining accessible public spaces is challenging. "Often, what works for one person does not work for another. For example, people with low vision typically benefit from well-lit spaces, whereas the same spaces can cause stress and anxiety for people with sensory disabilities." Katie says that good design is all about balancing these needs. She says that the Halifax Central Library has taken a people-first approach to this work. "Fostering a welcoming and accessible environment at Halifax Central Library has meant listening to staff, customers, and the public when they come forward with ideas or concerns and maintaining continuing education amongst our organization on best practices for accessible design."
When asked if they had advice for other organizations, Katie recommended engaging a professional to complete a rating. "The rating system is incredibly [detailed] and goes far beyond the requirements of the Building Code to provide meaningful access to all in the built environment. The first step in the journey is understanding, so a discussion with an accessibility consultant, such as an RHFAC Professional, can open your eyes to challenges or barriers that may exist that you were not aware of."
Katie says Halifax Public Libraries plans to continue using the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification. Halifax Central Library is the first library site to receive a rating. Moving forward, Katie says the organization aims to make this level of accessibility the new standard for all major projects and new buildings, which is in line with Halifax Regional Municipality's commitment to accessibility.
Please take a look at their blog post about this project to review a full score breakdown and highlighted accessibility features at the Central Library.
Congratulations 2024 Award Winners!
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From left to right: Roxy Peterson (Town of Kentville), Steve Wells (Amherst Little League), Michelle Richards (Cross Country Ski Nova Scotia), Marlene Melanson, Robin Norrie, Craig Langille (Town of Kentville), Chris Kendrick (Avon Sport & Social Community)
Missing from the photo: Alnaas Community and Youth Development Association and W.E.B.S Creative Closet, who, unfortunately, could not be there with us.
WOW! What a night!
Congratulations to all the 2024 award winners. Your dedication was inspiring, and your stories were touching. It was easy to tell you all care deeply about the communities you are involved in.
This year, we had:
Avon Sport and Social Community win the Bluenose Achievement Award
Cross Country Nova Scotia Ski Ambassadors win the Mayflower Community Cooperation Award
Town of Kentville: Hemlock Wooly Adelgid win the Connecting People with Nature Award
Town of Kentville, Neighbourhood Outreach Program Coordinator win the EDIA Award
Amherst Little League win the High Five Nova Scotia Champion
Alnaas Community and Youth Development Association win the Event/Program Excellence Award
W.E.B.S. Creative Closet win the Heart of Recreation Award
And two big special congratulations to Marlene Melanson, who won this year's Professional Achievement award, and Robin Norrie, who won the Honourary Lifetime Member Award, for their outstanding, significant, and consistent contributions to recreation in Nova Scotia in their 30+ years in the sector!
Marlene has built a strong community of passionate recreation professionals through her roles with the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, where she is currently the Recreation Director. A strong leader, she leads from behind, giving those around her opportunities to gain experience and confidence. Marlene, you have been an integral part of so many innovative projects across the province, and it's obvious from the number of testimonials that so many look up to you and are lucky to call you a friend and mentor.
Robin, we were honoured to have you attend and accept your prestigious award of Lifetime Member. The many smiles and hugs you received are a testament to the difference you have made and the long-lasting impacts you have had on all of us across the province. Your dedication and commitment to the vision of recreation have shaped many rec professionals today and have ensured the Nova Scotian rec sector is set up for success provincially and nationally.
Thank you, winners, for all you continue to do to help lead healthier futures through recreation. We can't wait to see you and your projects continue to make a difference.
Building Resilience in Times of Crises
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Exploring the evolving role of recreation in challenging circumstances
By Rick Gilbert
A resilient community, whether defined by geography, interest, experience, or identity, is one that has the resources to help prevent, withstand, and recover from emergencies. Resilient communities can adapt despite disturbances caused by emergencies and return to acceptable levels of functioning.” (Full Report: The Chief Public Health Officer of Canada’s Report on the State of Public Health in Canada 2023)
Introduction
In recent decades, the recreation sector has experienced more change than we are used to. We’ve taken on new imperatives such as physical activity, active transportation, and healthy eating in public settings, often in new partnerships with sectors such as Public Health, Natural Resources, and Transportation/Public Works. We’ve also built new partnerships with traditional allies such as sports and parks worked in new ways to address inequities faced by women and girls and Indigenous people and addressed anti-racism in our sector. Our long-term direction, for the first time, has been articulated through a National Recreation Framework and just as we were tapping into the power and potential of that movement, we were hit with the COVID-19 pandemic that sent our society and our sector into a tailspin.
Statement Regarding HIGH FIVE® Changes in Nova Scotia
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Recreation Nova Scotia (RNS) has been a committed partner in delivering the HIGH FIVE® quality assurance program for over twenty years, working as an authorized provider to support the program in the province of Nova Scotia. This has involved marketing HIGH FIVE®, managing trainers, and administering the program in the province.
RNS's role as an authorized provider will end on December 31, 2024.
As HIGH FIVE®, Recreation Nova Scotia, and the sector have adjusted to economic and technological changes over the last few years, service adjustments have been made to the education program across the country. This, in part, led to HIGH FIVE® undertaking a business review over the last couple of years, which RNS had the opportunity to feed into.
The business review concluded in Spring 2024, and the consultant’s recommendations were endorsed in early Summer 2024. These recommendations included a significant shift in the delivery of HIGH FIVE® in Nova Scotia and eight other provinces and territories that operated similarly to RNS. This decision was communicated to RNS on September 10, 2024, without any immediate opportunity for discussion or questions.
The main change we foresee is that HIGH FIVE® will shift to a direct delivery model, delivered by HIGH FIVE® National (managed by Parks & Recreation Ontario). Course and trainer logistics will shift away from RNS to HIGH FIVE® National. We will engage with HIGH FIVE® National in the coming months to further understand this change.
RNS remains committed to supporting the recreation sector with high-quality training and education that meets the needs of the province's residents with a sustainable and accessible delivery model.
In the coming weeks and months, we will seek to hear more from those affected by this change and better understand the sector's education needs in Nova Scotia.
For any questions, queries or concerns, please contact
Michelle Richards hired as new Regional Physical Activity Consultant for Cape Breton Region
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We’re delighted to announce that Michelle Richards will take on the Regional Physical Activity Consultant (RPAC) role for the Cape Breton region. Michelle will be responsible for supporting and leading projects related to the Let’s Get Moving strategy in the region, contributing to a culture of movement and improving population levels of physical activity.
Michelle comes to RNS/CCTH with extensive experience in recreation at the community, municipal, provincial, and national levels. She has a passion for getting people of all ages active for life in all four seasons and a deep understanding of building collaborative relationships and networks.
Michelle’s vast and varied experience in the field includes working with Cross Country Ski Nova Scotia as the Cape Breton Ski Ambassador, running summer surf programs with the Municipality of the County of Richmond, and serving on the boards of Hike Nova Scotia and the Surfing Association of Nova Scotia.
We look forward to welcoming Michelle to the team. She will start on Thursday, October 3rd, and can be reached at
Welcome Michelle!