Kyle Rich, Assistant Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Brock University, had a piece recently published in The Conversation about questions voters can ask political parties about how they view sport and recreation.

He writes:

“Recreation and sport provide important opportunities to improve physical health, quality of life and well-being in our communities. As a result, some data suggest that 98 per cent of Canadians believe that recreation and parks are essential services. 

However, recent data also indicates a decline in sport participation over the past 20 years. In 2021, adults in Canada received an F for sedentary behaviours on the Participaction Report Card, suggesting that participation in recreation and physical activities is also declining.

There are a variety of reasons for why participation in sport and recreation is on the decline, including lack of opportunities, affordability and accessibility. Our research looks at how government decisions impact sport participation for different groups of people and across different areas.

Our work involves understanding the complicated systems that deliver sport and recreation opportunities and how these systems differ across provinces, territories and regions in Canada.”

Continue reading the full article on The Conversation website.