Bird's Blog

A Budget for a Golden Year

2010-03-05T11:55:00.001-05:00

Hello all,

Yesterday's budget put a golden financial glow on a memorable week for sport in Canada. The budget has demonstrated a level of support previously unseen by our federal government. Kudos to the many sport leaders and citizens - and our exceptional athletes and coaches - who collaborated in bringing these valuable sport proposals to government and for demonstrating what sport can do when we work together.

In sum, $31m have been allocated annually and on an on-going basis to a range of sport and physical activity priorities:

- $5m to renew the La Releve initiative at Sport Canada that was slated to sunset on March 31st of this year

- $3m dedicated to ParticipACTION to promote healthy lifestyles through physical activity and fitness

- $1m towards Special Olympics Canada in support of sport for people with an intellectual disability

- $17m for programs that support the training and competition of winter and summer elite athletes (as in, the $11m towards Own the Podium winter and $6m to Team Sport initiatives)

- $5m to the Canadian Paralympic Committee to build off the coming Games in Vancouver in the years ahead

In turn, Minister Lunn will announce details on how this effort will also reach out to and target private sector investments and partnerships, building on the success of Own the Podium.

There are also indications in the budget that:

- funds still exist in the Recreation Infrastructure Canada program, now entering its second year

- the disbursement quota for charities, foundations, and RCAAAs has been eliminated

- the research granting councils (i.e. SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC etc) have seen modest additional funds , totalling $32m

- $45m towards making facilities more accessible to people with a disability

- Rick Hansen's Foundation also has $9m earmarked for the coming two years

- and some top ups to a number of youth programs are in place (internships for youth employment and skills training - i.e. coaching - for youth at risk)

All the best, and congratulations Canada.

Ian

A New Way Forward for Sport in Alberta

2010-01-18T12:58:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon SMG,

I'm posting from Calgary today as we launch the conversations about a New Way Forward for Sport in Alberta - see www.sportalberta.ca.

Will be at Canada Olympic Park with the Calgary Sport Council for a discussion over lunch about municipal policy and election strategies. Then off to Lethbridge where around 30 people are coming out tonight to talk about future directions, what's needed to get there, and what sport can do for Alberta.

More to follow later today.

Ian

Innovations in Sport from the past Decade - Part II

2010-01-06T14:40:00.004-05:00

Good afternoon Sport Matters,

Happy New Year and I hope that 2010 has started off well for you and yours.

On to part two of my innovations in Sport from the past decade, with the focus being on VANOC, The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It was established on September 30, 2003. The Committee’s mandate is to support and promote the development of sport in Canada by planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

VANOC

How many other games organizing committees survive intact from start to finish? Simply put, it never happens, at least not until John Furlong came along and built a team and an organization to contest the notion that Games organizers are hired to be fired. Many highs and many lows later, the Games are on track, Vancouver-Whistler are transformed, and VANOC can make a credible claim to stimulating some big changes in how host organizers think about legacies now, partnerships, and execution.

All for now,

Ian

Innovations in Sport from the past Decade - Part I

2009-12-21T12:28:00.005-05:00

Good afternoon Sport Matter,

As 2009 is coming to an end, it has given me the opportunity to think about the last ten years. Having completed my field hockey career at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, this year marks a decade of growing slower, rounder and, arguably, wiser.

It also provides an occasion to reflect on the past and, in this case, to consider some innovations of recent years that will continue to influence the coming decade. Here is the first of many conversation starters for your next planning meeting at the pub.

Professional Coaching

It’s hard to call this an innovation because it has always been thus – nothing makes a bigger difference in sport than an exceptional coach. So much has changed in that part of the sport system in the past 10 years – a new organization with a full service offering, many new employment opportunities, integrated support teams at the national level, and a sustained repatriation of Canadian talent who we had lost to other nations. Yes, there is still more to do to support them but the impact of our coaches on our national system is felt more today than in 2000 – no question about it.

Check back next week for thoughts on another innovation in sport!

Have a safe and happy holidays,

Ian

Parliamentary finance committee takes an interest in sport proposals

2009-10-01T11:59:00.003-04:00

Hi Sport Matters,

We've been at this for some time now and it's fair to say it gets better every year. Better understanding by Parliamentarians on the Standing Committee on Finance about why sport matters. Better questions from all parties. And better appreciation for how they can contribute and support Canadian excellence and participation in sport. Actually pretty cool to see the MPs working away at the issues, something you can lose sight of if you just read the papers.

A few highlights:

- We framed our remarks around being in the home city of the coming 2010 Games, building on Therese Brisson's testimony last week from the COC, and with thanks to the Committee for their support of previous budget proposals over the past 2 budgets (i.e. Road to Excellence and the Sport/Rec Infrastructure measures now generating $3b+ in capital investment)

- Then we zeroed in on the 3 proposals from our brief to help Canadian sport to bridge the gap in the coming year(s):

1) Focus on $22m stimulus measures to the national sport programs that are sunseting (OTP, athlete/coach, team, corporate etc.),

2) Modernize the Income Tax Act and make amateur community sport charitable to increase donations,

3) Make the Children's Fitness Tax Credit fully refundable to help low income Canadians register in sport programs.

- Many many nodding heads about the need to get behind the $22m stimulus

- Really supportive group from BC sport in the room - big thanks to Marilyn Payne (2010LegaciesNow), Steven Hills (CSC Pacific), Joe Hitchcock (BC Athlete Voice), and Gail Donohue (KidSport Canada)

- Way better coffee at the Vancouver Hyatt then the stuff they serve on Parliament Hill

- Learned a lot about Fraser River sediment patterns, capital gains status for landlords, daycare/early learning/child poverty/women's equality, and about RCMP budgets in Tahsis, BC - democracy at work here in Vancouver with diverse presentation to the Committee

- Nice job by chairman James Rajotte today - on time and well balanced discussion.

Questions followed on sport, more than ever, about like this:

- John McCallum (Liberal) - Clarifying question on the $22m: what's the potential impact? Then supportive comments agreeing with our recommendation; and then, clarifying statement on the benefits of REFUNDABLE tax credits during the economic downturn - easy to agree with his perspective as an economist.

- Jean-Yves Laforest (Bloc) - How will the charitable status proposal make sport more inclusive? This gave me a chance to talk about how the UK made this change just a few years ago for precisely this purpose.

- Darryl Kramp (Cons) - Line of the day as he agreed with our proposals - "Keep your kids in sport and out of the courts." Big champion of why sport matters at all levels.

- Peter Julian (NDP) - Not really a question, just support for the $22m and the CFTC proposals. Wants to learn more.

- Massimo Pacetti (Liberal) - Support, as always, for our athletes and sport. Then a personal story about hockey and soccer and his kids. What are we doing to make it inclusive and not exclusive? What about our facilities? So I took the chance to talk about Canadian Sport for Life and about the remaining Sport and Rec infrastructure gap ($3b now invested against a $15b deficit.) Bit of back and forth. Good stuff.

We'll have the transcipt soon enough and will circulate to the Group.

All for now.

Ian

SMG: Our goals for a better way

2009-07-27T12:48:00.001-04:00

Good afternoon all,

With the 2010 and Beyond panel now getting itself organized, the Standing Committee on Finance brief due on August 15th, and with our SMG meeting slated for September 8th (full day in Ottawa at the RA Centre, RSVP to info@sportmatters.ca), we have some time to recalibrate our goals for a better way for sport and physical activity in the coming era.

My sense is that it would be helpful if we could articulate a set of goals - our sector's aspirations - from which we could then identify what's required to achieve them. Some of this is now being pulled together from the first BHD (big honkin document) and the process to create our next SMG policy framework (BHD version 2). Still, it's useful for us to fine tune and zero-in on what matters most.

So please take a stab at answering the question: what can we do better? Send them to us (info@sportmatters.ca) and we'll roll them up prior to our meeting on September 8th. Keep in mind that we had identified the following at our May 1st meeting about our sector strategy:
better alliances and mergers
better strategic plans and relationships between NSO-PSO-Club (as in the example of MOUs and Service Agreements like in Athletics and Hockey)
better efficiencies through sharing "back of house" services, like finance, hr, etc
better strategic relationships through co-location strategies, as in the efforts in Ottawa, Winnipeg etc to house sport and physical activity organizations together
better efforts to wind down initiatives and then to innovate around future goals

Let's all take a longer and more comprehensive look at what we can do better - send in your ideas, ok?

One last thing - we sent along an opinion piece to a few newspapers and the Ottawa Citizen ran with it this Saturday (link below) - Send it along to others, if you wish.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Vancouver+2010+just+beginning/1827357/story.html

All for now,
Ian

SMG: On an active policy agenda this summer

2009-07-17T15:23:00.004-04:00

Good afternoon all,

So much for a reduced pace this summer. Leaders in the sector are as busy as always, especially with the Canada Games coming soon to PEI and Vancouver 2010 just around the corner.

The public policy front at the federal level is also very active with at least these 4 important activities taking shape.

1. Standing Committee on Finance

We have another opportunity to work together in framing our federal budget submissions to the Standing Committee on Finance. This Committee of Parliament hears from Canadians and makes recommendations to the Minister of Finance as an on-going part of the federal budget process. This year, the Committee plans EXTENSIVE cross-Canada consultations. If you wish to present to the Committee in your city, please review the attached letter, submit your request BEFORE July 31st, and then connect with us so that we can coordinate our messages and themes.

2. Minister's leadership towards a better way

It seems that things have been active within the Minister's office on his idea and interest in developing a better way for sport leadership and governance in Canada. We've been encouraging him to initiate a process that helps us to work together and to benefit from the kinds of collaborative successes (think Own the Podium, LTAD, joint infrastructure projects etc.) which have provided the most momentum over the past few years. We'll see where this goes but we may well need to boot-up quickly in response to leadership from Minister Lunn.

We are also about one-month out from the annual meeting of federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers. We anticipate that they will focus on tackling the physical inactivity crisis, not just setting targets and measuring our lack of progress. There may also be some early reflections on the renewal process for the Canadian Sport Policy which sunsets in 2012.

3. Sport Matters meeting on September 8th - full day at the RA Centre in Ottawa. RSVP to Liz McDonald at: info@sportmatters.ca or 613.231.7472, x 246.

With the federal budget and a better way in mind, plus an opportunity to meet with Sport Canada's new Director General, Martin Boileau, we've made plans for a full day Sport Matters meeting on September 8th. We should also prepare for a fall election given what the opposition parties are communicating.

To round out the agenda, we'll want to pick up on our May 1st meeting when we set out a 5 point agenda for our own better way initiative:
- shared service strategies (to share back of house operational functions)
- integration strategies (like MOU agreements as Athletics Canada is developing)
- co-location / ownership opportunities through bricks and mortar developments
- alliances (that build and deliver value, not new organizations)
- mergers through governance reforms (and how we can actually streamline our system through strategic mergers and even acquisitions)
- winding down (this is often the unspoken part of the equation - how can we achieve this with integrity and value this contribution to a better way!)

4. Working Together Initiative

Kudos to the group of leaders who are continuing to make progress with 9 federal departments across the government of Canada on what sport and physical activity can do to achieve a range of policy objectives. At the end of the month there's a meeting of Assistant Deputy Ministers from departments of Health, Heritage, Indian Affairs, Northern Development, Human Resources, Social Development, and Citizenship, plus our sport and physical activity colleagues. This will set the scene for Phase 2 of the Working Together Initiative and a couple more years of development work on both what to do, how to do it together, and how to most effectively flow resources.

That's it for now but I think we can all expect some increased engagement and communication in the coming days.

Oh, one last thing - I drafted this think piece (previous blog) for Coaches Plan. Have a look if you have some time.

Cheers,

Ian

Change of an age?

2009-06-17T16:01:00.002-04:00

Good afternoon all,

From time to time it’s valuable to step back and survey the landscape that you’re working in. It’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day activities, that we forget the value of the long view.

For some of us in sport, we often set aside time for reflection at the end of a training cycle or on the heels of a competition or when an organization finishes a particular project.

My interest in this brief paper is on a different scale and at a different time.

First, I want to ask us to take an even bigger step backwards and to consider the sport landscape in Canada writ large. Second, I want to do so in midst of the changes and preparations that are generating new dynamics in our sport system.

What do we see? What are the big drivers of Canada’s sporting future? Are we experiencing a change of an age?

Analysis first

One place to start is the deep end, where the global financial crisis is creating waves and where we’ve set out great big sport performance goals.

My sense is that the Canada is experiencing the impact of the economic downturn with a kind of 2010 halo overhead, benefitting from the spillover effects of the Games in Vancouver which is assisting not only B.C. residents but also sport organizations, some of which are buffeted by their affiliations with the big show. On the ground, community sport is adjusting to fewer operating resources with registration fees and local sponsorship trending downward and with recreation budgets trimmed by municipal budget crunching. As always, the regional and provincial networks are being squeezed the hardest with only the larger and more diversified operations able to sustain (and even grow) their impact.

It’s difficult to miss how far we’ve come in the performance part of our sport system in the past few years. International results are coming in at a best-ever clip and many sports are closing in on their own turnaround moment, with success just a season away. The system requires some tweaking in the months ahead to consolidate these gains but 2010 will surely mark time in Canadian high performance sport. Outliers to this trend, like team sport systems in Canada, are now organizing and it’s not unrealistic to anticipate changing fortunes on that front in the coming decade.

Sport participation trends are also turning the corner, for the better, just as we are beginning to see changes in physical activity rates among certain groups of Canadians. What’s driving this? Hard to say, but some might point to the fact that we are closer to a comprehensive strategy aimed at addressing the “wicked problem” of changing the behaviour patterns of individuals. It just might be that the mix of policies and interventions from the last few years – targeted strategies, tax measures, infrastructure investment, messaging campaigns, health and social correlations, financial well-being (until just recently), and better sport opportunities – are now significant enough to tip the numbers.

It’s timely then that governments, for their part, are embarking on such a significant public sector capital investment into sport and recreation infrastructure – now booked at over $2 billion – in the coming 3-4 years. With new demand and with new needs for both increased accessibility and economic stimulus, the provision of dedicated funds for facility and park renewal makes clear sense. What it also means is that the years of a market-based sport paradigm are waning and the re-emergence of public sport systems will be coming soon to a community near you. This might be the biggest trend in sport for the first quarter of this century – the re-framing of sport as one of Canada’s most important public assets.

Amidst such promising circumstances, there are also downward trends. Private sector investment has come to a screeching halt just as demand has risen from community sport groups. We are still a full business cycle away – at least – from a change in forecast with experts disagreeing on whether we’ll ever return to the kind of partnerships that characterized the last 30 years of sport development buoyed by private sponsorship interests.

Two important but less recognized elements of concern are best described as pressure points.

First, leaders and relationships between leaders are increasingly strained as external pressures and demands beyond their control are on the rise. Time is a scarce commodity. Performance goals are close at hand. Focusing, targeting, efficiency gains, execution and integration are the buzz-words of choice. There is little room for innovation, long term planning, or the so-called soft requirement for relationship building. The politics of power is returning alongside the politics of engagement that has served us well these past 8 years. Leaders are under pressure.

The second pressure point is a global-local one: sport has yet to square the circle on the environmental crisis. While Vancouver recently hosted an international conference on sustainability and sport, there is no plan at hand or dedicated policy to help us shift our sport systems in an age of peak oil and climate change. Will our sport system be able to lead in this regard? Or be left to adapt quickly as others set the course for us? With only a handful of people even thinking this through, it’s hard to see how Canada’s environmental vision for sport will come about – and that’s a shame.

Leadership is changing

As you move beyond the macro-settings described above - the sport system, our economy, public-private investment circumstances and key pressure points - you quickly arrive at the micro-settings of Canadian sport organizations and its leadership.

What is noticeable at the moment is how much is either in significant flux or stuck in a holding pattern; there is little new development underway. Clearly, the changes of the past 8 years are being absorbed but it’s also evident that the major players are awaiting a more transformative change agenda.

Sport Canada is in neutral: focusing inward, introducing new career public servants as leaders within the branch and sustaining strategies that have been in the pipeline for the past number of years. The demographic situation in-house suggests that some major turnover is in the works at 15 Eddy Street.

Major games organizations are also in flux. Nearly all of the big 6 organizations are working through significant changes in leadership at the volunteer and professional levels or surveying changing opportunities for Canada to host (or not) one of the big prizes of their international franchise. These changes have implications for the technical leadership at Own the Podium, too.

National sport organizations and service providers are working through multiple windows of accountability, relating to each of these moving parts, and responding with more sophistication than ever. This is one of the key trend lines, growing management and leadership capacity at our national organizations.

In fact, the 4 key response strategies to these changing times are extremely promising:

1. Mergers and mergers-lite.

There is a 5 point agenda in place that features strategies to merge sport organizations, develop alliances and consortiums, implement standard operating procedures which unite NSO-PSO-LSO networks, implement shared service agreements for back of house functions like finance, and new initiatives to co-locate sport organizations in most major centres (Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Ottawa come to mind.)

2. Sport organizations are defaulting to collaboration.

In the 90s, external pressures led to competitive strategies. Not anymore. Leaders are conditioned to look for win-win opportunities; the new instinct is to cooperate and collaborate.

3. Canadian Sport Policy renewal is underway.

Along with infrastructure investments, this is the bright spot on the policy agenda for the next 2-3 years. The prospect of building the next Canadian Sport Policy with governments and sport communities working together holds real promise.

4. A reform minded federal Minister for Sport.

Minister Lunn’s idea of finding a better way for sport leadership and governance is one of the best things we’ve heard from the political suites in Ottawa for some time now. With ambitious goals to deliver on this idea in the next 6 months, he’ll need the support of leaders who are ready for change. Which we are, right?

Innovation Agenda

Finally, here are a few things to keep an eye on. Not so much surveying the current landscape, as anticipating what lies ahead.

Horizontality. What are we going to do with all of the related priorities that want sport to get on board? Help with obesity? Develop a skills agenda for youth in Canada? Tune up our ability to welcome newcomers to Canada? Sort out real, meaningful engagement of Aboriginal youth and communities?

From a rural Canada to an urban Canada. For the most part, sport struggles to succeed in high-density urban environments. Yet urban planners remind us that this is our future. We’ll need more than “night hoops b-ball” to meet the needs of young urbanites.

New technologies. It’s hard to imagine that Twitter will survive the current craze. But web2.0 isn’t going away. How ready are we to make the most of networked web technologies? Or will those same technologies own our kids’ unstructured time?

Community development agenda. I think we’re onto this. It’s as if on our way to the podium finishes and sport development goals that we’ve long sought, we also managed to stir up a third strategy that takes into account how to use sport, intentionally, to address what communities want. Sport for development will soon be a mainstreamed field of work in Canada requiring new skills, new storylines, and new leadership.

As my colleague Richard Way likes to say, “that’s a lot, Ian.” But that’s my take and I’m sticking to it. I think it means that we need to retool and to become even more sophisticated in how we lead and manage change. I think it means we’ll need a new vision and a new frame of mind for the next decade. And I’m sure it will demand more connectivity and interaction with one another, not less.

Maybe what matters most is that it means we’ve come a long way, that we’ve come through an age of change and are now ready for a change of age.

Ian

S4D Gathering - Beyond making kids sweat

2009-06-11T13:25:00.005-04:00

Hi All,

It has been some time since my last post and I wanted to let everyone know that we just finished our Sport for Development Gathering at UBC this week.

One of our objectives for this Gathering was to foster a spirit of contribution amongst our group. The idea wasn't that people show up and attend sessions , but rather each one of us came with a sense of ownership in the plans and outcomes for this Gathering.
Whether it was taking the lead in an activity, adding in an idea or financial assistance, everyone's contributions have made the Gathering a great success!

I want to thank everyone who participated and helped in the planning process.

Check out the Sport Matters website (www.sportmatters.ca) over the next few weeks for more information about the different conversations that took place.

That's all for now! Have a great afternoon.

Ian

More about today's infrastructure announcement and the federal budget

2009-01-27T20:05:00.001-05:00

Hi again,

Erin and I wanted to reconnect with you one more time tonight about today's federal budget.

First, you'll find here an SMG press release that includes some framing messages to help you with your communications. It's critical that we create a wave of regional communications about this new infrastructure initiative because this is how it will be implemented - through Canada's regional development agencies.

Secondly, there was an important boost to Special Olympics Canada in the budget (up to $1.5million annually) that will surely help this leading organization in their sport development work with and for Canadians with intellectual disabilities - great news.

Thirdly, there are many related initiatives that we ought to tap into:
There are so many related infrastructure initiatives that we'll need a day or two to assess (i.e. Will the Green Infrastructure Fund help arenas retrofit with new, clean, green technology? Will the Colleges fund apply to sport and recreation facilities? etc.)
If you typically hire students to work at your non profit sport organization, you ought to boost your plans for this summer and next. There is an additional $20m a year in the Canada Summer Jobs program.
Health outcomes are the priority for the First Nations and Inuit health partnerships - set to the tune of an additional $305million over two years. Health promoting activities, like sport, physical activity, youth development and such have traditionally been included in the makeup of these programs given the holistic philosophy of Aboriginal health. Let's support our Aboriginal Sport and Recreation groups in accessing these programs.
Sport Tourism built around Vancouver 2010 got a boost with $40million over 2 years heading to the Canadian Tourism Commission.
F-PT governments, Coaches of Canada, Coaching Association of Canada, and provincial coaches associations - take note. There is a new $50million investment going into a national foreign credential recognition framework. Is this an opportunity for investment in how newcomer coaches can acquire their NCCP certification and/or Ch PC designation?
What we didn't see was any additional progress on tax policy beyond the advancement of the Athlete Trust act in pre-budget work. Nor did we see anything specific around the upcoming major event in Vancouver and bids for Pan Am and FISU games in 2015. Foreign policy and international cooperation received barely a mention. So there is more work for us to do together and more analysis to come.

Lastly, the story behind this budget is also worth telling, that I can attest. Perhaps at the next SMG meeting or, even better, when we gather over coffee or a beer and talk about the future of sport and physical activity, someone should remind me to share some of what I learned in the lock-up about how this came to be. It's mostly about being there - all of us - about sticking to it and about everyone pitching in for many years. It sure made me appreciate what we are all about.

Good night everyone.

Ian

A budget for building in sport and recreation

2009-01-27T19:42:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Pick up the shovel, everybody.

The 2009 Federal Budget takes direct aim at the long standing infrastructure deficit in sport and recreation with a new, dedicated, $500 million fund, to be expended in the next 2 years, to renew and build facilities in our communities.

With specific references to the 1967 Centennial year building boom, the budget highlights in detail the need for “hockey arenas, soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts, and swimming pools” as examples for upgrading, renewal and building through this nationally delivered initiative.

The program will be a 50/50 matching initiative through regional development agencies (i.e. ACOA in Atlantic Canada) whereby provinces and municipalities, community sport organizations, and the private sector may all apply for matching funds where shovel ready projects exist.

3 big goals drive the new fund- economic stimulus, quality facilities, and national spirit- and the allocation will be based on merit and readiness accordingly.

Much more to come re: Aboriginal health initiatives, opportunities for youth employment in sport organizations, and even more infrastructure opportunities.

All for now and cheers to all for our successful collaboration on the sport and recreation infrastructure file.

Ian

Un budget pour bâtir dans le sport et le loisir

2009-01-27T19:40:00.000-05:00

Bonjour à tous, (the English version was circulated earlier today)

Prenez vos pelles, tout le monde.

Le budget fédéral 2009 vise directement le déficit accumulé depuis longtemps des infrastructures dans le sport et le loisir avec de nouveaux fonds réservés de 500 millions $ au cours des deux prochaines années pour renouveler et bâtir des installations dans nos collectivités.

Avec des références spécifiques au boom de la construction de l’année du centenaire de 1967, le budget décrit en détail les besoins pour des «arénas de hockey, des terrains de soccer, des courts de tennis et de basket-ball et des bassins de natation» comme des exemples pour la rénovation, le renouvellement et la construction grâce à ce projet présenté nationalement.

Le programme sera appuyé à 50/50 par des agences régionales de développement (c.-à-d., l’ACOA dans les Maritimes) par lesquelles les provinces et les municipalités, les organisations communautaires sportives et le secteur privé pourront tous déposer des demandes pour des fonds correspondants là où des projets prêts à sortir de terre existent.

Trois grands objectifs sont visés par les nouveaux fonds: la stimulation économique, des installations de qualité et l’esprit national – et l’allocation se fera sur le mérite et l’aptitude en conséquence.

Beaucoup d’autres choses sont à venir, comme: des projets de santé autochtones, des occasions d’emplois pour les jeunes dans les organisations sportives et même d’autres occasions pour des infrastructures.

C’est tout pour l’instant et bonne chance à tous pour notre collaboration couronnée de succès dans les dossiers d’infrastructures de sport et de loisir.

Ian

Welcome to federal budget day, everybody.

2009-01-27T10:03:00.001-05:00

This afternoon I'll be off to the lock-up for an early look at budget so I thought I'd provide a heads up on what we'll be reviewing in the budget documents.

You'll recall that we have 4 major themes to our policy work these days each of which come from our foundational policy work (the BHD) and align with the current economic and environmental circumstances:

1. Leadership - this is mostly related to the re-structuring of leadership systems in sport, like Ministerial appointments/mandates, development of the Agency concept, and the aggregate nature of political and policy leadership that is exercised by the federal government. The budget is one more chance for us to assess the nature of the leadership that we know is required for sport and physical activity policy success. The Minister's readiness to engage with the sector and understanding of the value of sport in society is a good sign.

2. The 1% commitment - the budget is the primary (but not the only) tool for Parliament to meet its goal of investing the equivalent of 1% of federal health spending on sport and physical activity. This commitment, first introduced by the Conservatives and now indexed at $500M, has been adopted by each of the federal parties so we'll consider progress on that front too, not just today but also tomorrow when the Liberals plan to announce their response to the budget. This is a positive outcome of your efforts during the last election campaign - so let's keep those relationships alive with your local MP by conversing with them about the nature of today's budget.

3. Infrastructure - the leaks in advance of the budget have already sent the signal that capital investment is being enhanced and fast-tracked. There are some very promising signs here so we'll look closely at the details and provide some analysis of what and where the opportunities exist in the next 2 years. If you have a shovel ready project, you ought to prepare your leaders for some smart work in the coming 6 months. Kudos to Victor Lachance at True Sport for his work in advancing this file with our colleagues in the Arts and Environment, through Imagine Canada - weekly briefings of Finance and PMO officials by a collective of leaders being the result.

4. Tax policy - there is much underway in tax policy that is having / will have an impact across the sport sector.
Consider that a pre-budget announcement of an enhancement to the athlete trust policy is already in the books (http://www.fin.gc.ca/drleg-apl/BIAdec08N-eng.asp with kudos to JD Miller, Jen Heil and Kim St Pierre for persisting on this file with pro bono help from KPMG/OgilvyRenault.
Also consider that the Children's Fitness Tax Credit is due for an upgrade to "fully refundable" status based on an election commitment last September.
And consider still that the series of tax incentives for giving and philanthropy continue unabated with more anticipated in today's budget.
All of which is to say that we now have a tax system that is much more in tune with what Canada's highest earning athletes, low income families, and fund developing sport organizations will benefit from on the fiscal front. Clearly, we'll have more to say on this later today and tomorrow.

What else might we look for in the budget?
The resolution of the Vancouver 2010 projects, linkages to the PanAm or Universiade efforts for 2015, the health file especially in relation to Aboriginal communities, international sport for development trends, and human resource strategies that impact non-profit organizations.

In the end, our sector's challenge will be to determine and to act in a way that puts this budget into action, on short notice, so that sport and physical activity communities are a big part of Canada's economic turnaround.

More to come later tonight,
Ian

Gary Lunn appointed as Minister of State for Sport

2008-10-31T16:45:00.002-04:00

Hi all,

Good news folks - the Prime Minister has just appointed Gary Lunn as Minister of State for Sport. This will bring together the various sporting elements (including Vancouver 2010) under one Minister with a seat at the cabinet table. It is also notable that Minister Lunn has been appointed to the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and to the Treasury Board.

Minister Lunn resides in Sidney, BC (just outside Victoria) and his riding (Saanich-Gulf Islands) is home to the new Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence. You'll be safe if you hit the slopes with the Minister as he's a former member of the Canadian Ski Patrol. Please take the time to write to the Minister and congratulate him on his new leadership role.

There are a number of other promising appointments:

Our new Health Minister is Leona Aglukkaq from Nunavut. This bodes well for health promotion efforts in northern communities and in preventative health strategies - like physical activity - about which the Minister has previous experience as a Territorial politician.

The 2015 bid for the Pan American Games will be pleased to have Minister John Baird in charge of the communities and infrastructure file - strong Ontario and Queens Park ties ought to help.

Former Secretary of State for Sport, Helena Guergis, is now the Minister for the Status of Women which may create some opportunities for linkages to the new women in sport policy and to the efforts of the CAAWS network.

We've always been impressed with James Moore who is the newly minted Minister of Canadian Heritage, the department where Sport Canada resides.

Also pleased to see that some are continuing on, including Minister Oda at International Cooperation for those involved in international sport for development and Minister Chuck Strahl at Indian Affairs and Northern Development (new investors in sport projects!)

All around good guy and sport leader from Aquatics, Denis Lebel, has been appointed to cabinet for the first time as Minister of State for Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec.

And props to Rob Merrifield for making it in this time around (Minister of State for Transport). Minister Merrifield did yeoman's duty for sport as chair of the Standing Committee on Finance during the last budget cycle.

All for now,
Ian

Senior Leader

________

Bonjour à tous,

Le Ministre Lunn a présenté, aujourd’hui, une manière pour nous tous de regarder l’avenir ensemble - «Vers 2010 et après» (voir le document ci-joint). C’est un bon projet, je pense, et quelque chose qui peut rallier notre système sportif vers une nouvelle vision renouvelée après 2010.

Quelques idées:
- nous voudrons appuyer la procédure de comité (voir le communiqué de presse du GSI ci-joint – merci pour la réponse rapide en juillet) et aussi nous assurer que l’action suit les délibérations (plus tôt et non plus tard)
- cela signifie que nous avons du travail à faire cet été et cet automne pour rassembler nos meilleures idées
- plus que jamais, nos efforts de réforme et notre intérêt pour de nouvelles manières – de meilleures manières – de faire les choses seront importants
- certains d’entre vous ont probablement des documents et des stratégies actuels (ou vieux) qui doivent être ressortis et mis à jour
- David Zussman est une bonne voix dynamique pour présider le groupe. Il est très bien perçu à Ottawa et extrêmement bien lu dans les stratégies de gouvernance. Il aura besoin de nos meilleures idées dans l’aspect sportif du grand livre.
- en fait, il me semble que le comité aura besoin d’entendre les experts et les meneurs actuels dans le secteur (et à l’extérieur du secteur?)

Une question:
- Est-ce que tout le monde a une copie du discours que George Heller a prononcé à la Conférence sur le leadership sportif à Halifax?

Quelques défis:
- nous aurons besoin de plans pour des imprévus au cas où il y aurait une élection cet automne
- nous voudrons travailler sur un ordre du jour pour notre prochaine réunion le 8 septembre à Ottawa pour tenir compte de cette procédure (RSVP à info@sportmatters.ca)

En attendant, je pars pour la Baie Géorgienne pour la fin de semaine. Disponible par cellulaire lundi et de retour au bureau mardi.

Excellent travail tout le monde!

Meilleurs voeux,
Ian

Gary Lunn appointed as Minister of State for Sport

2008-10-31T16:45:00.000-04:00

Hi all,

Our new Health Minister is Leona Aglukkaq from Nunavut. This bodes well for health promotion efforts in northern communities and in preventative health strategies - like physical activity - about which the Minister has previous experience as a Territorial politician.
The 2015 bid for the Pan American Games will be pleased to have Minister John Baird in charge of the communities and infrastructure file - strong Ontario and Queens Park ties ought to help.
Former Secretary of State for Sport, Helena Guergis, is now the Minister for the Status of Women which may create some opportunities for linkages to the new women in sport policy and to the efforts of the CAAWS network.
We've always been impressed with James Moore who is the newly minted Minister of Canadian Heritage, the department where Sport Canada resides.
Also pleased to see that some are continuing on, including Minister Oda at International Cooperation for those involved in international sport for development and Minister Chuck Strahl at Indian Affairs and Northern Development (new investors in sport projects!)
All around good guy and sport leader from Aquatics, Denis Lebel, has been appointed to cabinet for the first time as Minister of State for Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec.
And props to Rob Merrifield for making it in this time around (Minister of State for Transport). Minister Merrifield did yeoman's duty for sport as chair of the Standing Committee on Finance during the last budget cycle.

All for now,
Ian

Senior Leader

Mes réflexions

2008-10-24T12:49:00.001-04:00

J’ai apporté matière à réflexion dans le prochain numéro de Plan du Coach en révélant des chiffres à propos des distances parcourues par les divers partis politiques depuis l’élection de 2000! Si vous avez besoin d’une autre dose de « politico-sport », lire ici.

Reflections on political parties

2008-10-17T11:01:00.003-04:00

I put some thoughts down for the new version of Coaches Plan about the distance travelled by political parties since the 2000 election. So if you need another dose of politico-sport, read here.

Ian

Thanks for giving.

2008-10-10T13:12:00.000-04:00

It's nearly the end of the 'power of sport' campaign and, surely, I believe.
I believe in the power of sport to show how democracy works in Canada and how the so-called democratic deficit is a myth in our sector. Something like sport, that reaches into the corners of our communities and into the middle of dinner table conversations, has that quality in Canada. During this campaign we've seen how sport's pervasiveness - the millions of volunteers, tens of thousands of facilities and parks, countless organizations of all sizes - is driven by its enthusiasts, but not just on the playing fields and pools and rinks and hills. But also, this time, on the doorsteps in conversation with those seeking your vote, at all candidates meetings in local gyms, within letters written near midnight, and throughout the web networks that sport uses to stay connected.
Over 8000 people have said that sport matters in this campaign. What a gift that is for Canada.
So, thanks.
Enjoy your weekend. And be sure to vote.

AthlètesCAN est passé à la vitesse supérieure et organise un Forum sportif à l’intention de tous les candidats (English follows below)

2008-09-25T10:30:00.009-04:00

AthlètesCAN est passé à la vitesse supérieure et organise un Forum sportif à l’intention de tous les candidats.

Quatre des principaux partis ont déjà confirmé leur présence :

La secrétaire d’État (Sport) Helena Guergis, du Parti conservateur, qui est candidate dans Simcoe Grey (Ontario). Plusieurs d’entre vous connaissez la secrétaire d’État en raison de sa participation à l’élaboration du budget de budget 2008 et de ses investissements dans l’initiative Vers l’excellence.

M. Rodger Cuzner, du Parti libéral, qui est candidat dans Cape Breton – Canso
(Nouvelle-Écosse). Cet ancien entraîneur de hockey et professeur d’éducation physique défend les intérêts du sport depuis les gouvernements Chrétien et Martin.

Mme Olivia Chow, du Nouveau Parti démocratique, qui est candidate dans Trinity – Spadina (Ontario). Mme Chow reconnaît l’importance d’une politique sportive et les liens qui unissent le sport et bon nombre d’autres questions sociales, telles que la lutte contre la pauvreté chez les jeunes, le chômage et l’environnement.

Grace Yogaretnam du Parti vert, candidat dans Mississauga Brampton South.

Assurez-vous d’être présent au Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel de Mississauga, en Ontario, de 13 h à 14 h le 4 octobre. Vous pourrez obtenir des renseignements sur le programme des principaux partis en matière de sport!

Nous vous fournirons plus de détails dès que possible.

AthletesCAN has stepped up and is organizing an All Party Sport Forum

2008-09-24T15:59:00.012-04:00

AthletesCAN has stepped up and is organizing an All Party Sport Forum

4 leading parties are already confirmed:

Secretary of State (Sport) Helena Guergis from the Conservative Party - candidate in Simcoe Grey (Ontario) Many of you will know the Sec of State from her involvement in budget 2008 and investments in the Road to Excellence initiative.

Mr. Rodger Cuzner from the Liberal Party - candidate in Cape Breton- Canso (Nova Scotia). As a former hockey coach and phys ed teacher, he has championed the sport file for years, dating back to the Chretien and Martin parliaments.

- Ms. Olivia Chow from the New Democratic Party - candidate in Trinity- Spadina (Ontario). Someone who appreciates the importance of sports policy and the links to so many other issues, from tackling youth poverty and unemployment to the environment.

Mississauga Brampton South candidate, Grace Yogaretnam, will be attending the forum on behalf of the Green Party.

Make plans to be at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel in Mississauga, Ontario on October 4th from 1 - 2pm. One stop shopping for the main party platforms on sport!

More details to follow as we know them.

Campaign happenings...

2008-09-18T16:46:00.001-04:00

We've run a few campaigns here at Sport Matters over the years. Safe to say I've never seen anything as good as this one. Why? Well, it's all this kind of stuff, consider...

- PacificSport takes it to another level - check this out here.

- You'll be laughing in your scotch at this one, here. Too funny and exactly why they call it the beautiful game. Anyone know this guy?

- It's big skies and big open spaces up north and big campaigns too - check the website at SportNorth here.

- Brampton soccer is onto it according to multiple reports. The poor Conservative candidate in Brampton has been getting call after call. Finally, he had to tell a soccer club volunteeer that, "yes, we will have something in the platform. Just give us a few days." Yet another reason why it's called the beautiful game.

- Cracked the 100 ridings-covered mark today - after just 12 days in. And nearing 500 Facebookers. 300 emails a day. No joke.

- And yes, it's fun to see the platforms take shape with sport and rec planks and real $ assigned to them.

On we go.

Leadership is starting to surface in many places.

2008-09-15T15:36:00.003-04:00

Like with runner and hockey player Chief Phil Fontaine at the AFN, click here to find the Globe article.

And with the Metis Grand Council, here.

Also within an expanded Green Party platform and within the Bloc platform - the only ones released to date.

Or in such unexpected locales as Kevin Caroll's blog at Katalyst - check it out.

Nouvelles concernant les élections

2008-09-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

Jusqu’à maintenant, aucune question de fond n’alimente cette campagne électorale.

Si rien ne change, nous nous rendrons aux urnes après avoir assisté aux épisodes d’un feuilleton présenté par les médias nationaux : des problèmes avec l’avion des Libéraux, la pertinence d’inviter Mme May à participer aux débats, les gaffes des Conservateurs en matière de stratégie et la chute de Layton et Duceppe dans les sondages.

Je suppose que cela signifie que la campagne menée sur le terrain sera plus importante que jamais et que les interactions quotidiennes avec les citoyens des circonscriptions influenceront le choix des électeurs versatiles et des indécis (qui représentent toujours près de 20 % de la population!). Consultez le sondage Nanos (anglais seulement) pour un aperçu de la variation des intentions de vote au pays.

Ian

Election update

2008-09-12T10:04:00.001-04:00

So far, there is not a single wedge issue that is driving this election.

If nothing changes, we'll go to the ballot box having been fed a series of soap operas by the national media - airplane troubles for the Liberals, May-day on the debates, war room gaffes by the Tories, and climb-downs by Layton and Duceppe.

I figure this means that the ground campaigns will matter more than ever and that the day to day interactions in local ridings will shape how the swing voters and the undecideds (still at almost 20%!) will cross their ballot. Check out the Nanos polling to see how variances across the country.

Ian

Les trois aspects importants de cette campagne

2008-09-08T15:48:00.002-04:00

Trois aspects comptent plus que tout dans cette élection et pour la campagne « Le pouvoir du sport » :

1. Chaque parti doit s’engager au sujet du sport au Canada. Le Canada sera l’hôte des Jeux de 2010 sous le prochain gouvernement; s’il n’adopte aucune position relativement au sport, il est déconnecté de la réalité. Ce n’est pas si difficile – il suffit de ne pas s’asseoir sur nos lauriers quant à nos progrès sur le podium, de se charger du sport et de récupérer le déficit sur le plan des infrastructures dans nos collectivités; il suffit d’appuyer notre premier sport mondial pour accentuer le mouvement de développement ici et à l’étranger, de lancer une politique fiscale créative visant à renforcer ce que notre système de bénévolat a à offrir.

2. Que notre communauté s’engage et diffuse le message – sur le terrain. Les élections étant une affaire locale, alors la meilleure façon de se faire entendre, c’est de s’exprimer dans son patelin. Pouvons-nous couvrir toutes les 308 circonscriptions en posant une question sur le pouvoir du sport à chaque candidat?

3. Que nous orientions notre attention sur les plus ou moins 70 circonscriptions où les élections seront gagnées ou perdues. Le vote de la communauté sportive est réellement important lorsqu’une circonscription pourrait être en jeu en raison d’une centaine de votes. Voyez ça et là pour une meilleure compréhension de ce point.

Pour les accros à la politique, consultez régulièrement les sondages Nanos et aussi l’enquête par sondage par excellence, soit celle du Globe – répartition régionale intéressante (en anglais seulement).

Three things matter this campaign

2008-09-07T09:12:00.003-04:00

Three things matter in a big way this election and for the sport campaign:

1. That each party takes a position on sport in Canada. Canada is hosting the 2010 Games during the next Parliament so if you don't have a sport position, you're out of touch with the times. It's not too difficult - don't stand still on our podium progress, take on the sport and rec infrastructure deficit in our communities, get behind our world leading sport for development movement at home and abroad, bust out with some creative fiscal policy to boost what our volunteer system can offer.

2. That our community gets a move on and gets the word out - on the ground. Elections are local affairs so the best way to have a say is, well, to have your say in your backyard. Can we cover all 308 ridings with a sport ask of each candidate?

3. That we also focus on the ~70 ridings where the election will be won or lost. The sport vote really matters when a riding could hang in the balance of a few hundred votes. See here and here for more insight into this.

For political junkies, keep an eye on the Nanos polling and you may also get a kick out of the Globe's poll of polls - interesting regional breakdown.

I've switched blog platforms

2008-09-06T15:58:00.002-04:00

Hi all,

Same Bird's blog, different location. Have a look at my archive blogs here...

More to come...

Ian