{"id":103767,"date":"2025-08-11T16:12:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T20:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=103767"},"modified":"2025-08-11T16:54:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T20:54:46","slug":"new-canadian-sport-policy-signals-major-shift-toward-participation-and-access-brock-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/08\/new-canadian-sport-policy-signals-major-shift-toward-participation-and-access-brock-expert\/","title":{"rendered":"New Canadian Sport Policy signals major shift toward participation and access: Brock expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

The newly released Canadian Sport Policy 2025\u20132035<\/a> marks an important shift in national priorities for sport, which could reshape participation, accessibility and infrastructure for the next decade, says a Brock University expert.<\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Sport Management Kyle Rich has been following the policy renewal closely as part of his national research project on how provincial and territorial sport policies are developed and implemented.<\/p>\n

His work examines how policy decisions at the regional level shape the sport experiences of communities across Canada.<\/p>\n

Rich is the Principal Investigator of the Regional Perspectives of Sport Policy Implementation<\/a> project, a pan-Canadian study examining how provincial and territorial policies influence sport participation and delivery.<\/p>\n

The team works directly with regional sport organizations to inform policy interventions aimed at increasing opportunities for Canadians to get involved in sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis policy is three years overdue, and its arrival is significant for everyone involved in sport from grassroots participants to high-performance athletes,\u201d Rich says. \u201cWhile it doesn\u2019t contain any major surprises for those following the process, there are some important shifts in focus that deserve attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rich adds that past Canadian sport policies have struggled to meet their goal of increasing participation, with national sport participation rates continuing to decline despite policy targets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time, participation is clearly at the forefront,\u201d he says. \u201cThe policy uses stronger language around barrier-free access and affordability, recognizing that cost remains one of the biggest obstacles to getting more Canadians involved in sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rich notes this new plan seeks to bring private, for-profit organizations and academies into alignment with national standards for safety, inclusivity and governance; and a recognition of spaces and places for sport emphasizes the importance of physical infrastructure, from municipal arenas and school gyms to outdoor recreation areas, in supporting participation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an important acknowledgment,\u201d he says. \u201cIn Canada, municipalities have historically been disconnected from national sport policy, but they are the primary providers of sport and recreation facilities. Recognizing their role opens the door to new conversations about how to make schools, municipal facilities and outdoor spaces more accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n

He notes that many small town and rural facilities built during the late 1970s and early 1980s are nearing the end of their lifespan, with limited resources being allocated for their replacement.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the next decade, we\u2019re going to see growing pressure on local governments to maintain or replace critical sport infrastructure,\u201d Rich says.<\/p>\n

While the policy sets a shared national vision of \u201cworking together to enable everyone to grow, excel and achieve well-being through sport,\u201d each province and territory will determine how best to implement it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat flexibility is both a strength and a challenge,\u201d he says. \u201cSome jurisdictions may prioritize participation and community health, while others focus on economic development through event hosting. Where provinces and territories choose to invest will determine whether participation goals are actually met.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rich points to the policy\u2019s careful balancing act between promoting sport as a tool for community building and as an engine for economic growth, which could determine funding and programming decisions in the years ahead.<\/p>\n

He adds that the policy\u2019s recognition of rural, remote and Indigenous communities, along with its emphasis on inclusion, diversity and safe sport, aligns with Canada\u2019s broader social priorities.<\/p>\n

However, Rich cautions that meaningful progress will depend on sustained investment, co-ordinated action across sectors and effective monitoring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis policy sets the right tone, especially on participation and accessibility,\u201d he says. \u201cThe question is whether political will and resources will follow to make those goals a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The newly released Canadian Sport Policy 2025\u20132035 marks an important shift in national priorities for sport, which could reshape participation, accessibility and infrastructure for the next decade, says a Brock University expert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":103768,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,3319,4767,1],"tags":[7488,5207,2726,57,13890],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103767"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103767"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103775,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103767\/revisions\/103775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}