Canadian Sport Centre Calgary

Background:
In October 2003, while acting in the role as an ‘advocate’, the Calgary Sport Council sent a letter to Mayor David Bronconnier requesting that the City of Calgary initiate development of a Civic Sport Policy.

This issue went to City Council on January 26, resulting in Council directing Administration through Calgary Recreation “ to initiate the development of a Civic Sports Policy in conjunction with key stakeholders in the sport community, including the Calgary Sport Council".

To this end a steering committee has been created to drive this project. The Steering Committee includes;

Craig Burrows Johnson - Calgary Sport Council
Dale Henwood - Canadian Sport Centre Calgary
Russ Reimer - Calgary Olympic Development Association
Dennis Allen - AB Sport, Recreation, Parks, & Wildlife Foundation
Jocelyn Burgener - Calgary Chamber of Commerce
Marco De Iaco - Tourism Calgary
Rollie Cyr - Calgary Flames
Brian Noble - Calgary Recreation
Ray Peltier - Calgary Recreation

The representatives of each of these groups have committed to, and are responsible for, communicating project status and updates with their respective organizations and membership.

On behalf of the Civic Sport Policy Steering Committee, I am pleased to provide our report, entitled An Opportunity to Excel: A Framework for the Development and Delivery of Sport for Calgary, an unprecedented, timely and visionary policy framework that reflects the spirit of Calgary and its unique sport culture.

Over the past 20 months, through consultations with community stakeholders and sport leaders in Calgary, the Civic Sport Policy Steering Committee has developed a policy framework that acknowledges the social and economic benefits of sport and enables The City of Calgary and its partners to work collaboratively toward an inclusive, innovative and unified vision for sport.

With our population approaching one million, now is the time to envision a future that recognizes the importance of sport for all Calgarians from the grassroots levels to the country’s Olympic best. We believe this is a city that embraces big ideas, and the development of this policy is a big idea. In fact, a municipal sport policy of this scope is without precedent in North America and represents the first of its kind in Canada. We share Council’s vision “to create a city where people want to live and do business.”

We believe that sport is an important part of the active lifestyle that defines the city and attracts thousands of tourists and new Calgarians every year seeking an enhanced quality of life. The policy review is aligned with current research that emphasizes the importance of physical activity in youth. Sport gives our youth more than just physical well-being, it contributes to their development both psychologically and socially as good citizens. Sport also fosters an environment that levels the socio-economic playing field and empowers often marginalized and underrepresented groups.

The development of this policy framework is also timely with the return of the Olympic Games to Western Canada in 2010. This represents both an opportunity and a challenge to maintain Calgary’s position as Canada’s high performance winter sport training centre. With over 200 national team athletes living and training in Calgary, the report also recognizes the ongoing contribution of our Olympic legacy to the uniqueness of Calgary’s sport culture.

We believe that the time is right for The City of Calgary to embrace its sport culture and trust that the recommendations provided in the report will enable you and members of Council to proceed with the adoption of a Civic Sport Policy.

Current Status:
· The Socio-Cultural Significance of Sport Study has been completed. This study was critical for a well-informed sport policy. Through literature reviews, focus group consultation, executive interviews and proposed research the study outlines variables that policy makers and city administrators need to consider when planning and managing amateur sport in Calgary. The report provides a substantive defence for the creation of a sport policy for the city based on social and cultural insight.

· The Economic Significance of Sport Study has been completed. The purpose of this investigation was to generate an understanding of the expenditures related to amateur sport made in Calgary over a given year. The study focus included active participation in amateur sport, physical education and school sport, as well as spectator and officiating spending in the amateur sport sector. The expenditures assessed include private (household) consumption, public (government) consumption, private investment and a measure of ‘net exports’ (amateur sport-related injections into the Calgary economy by those who not reside in the city).

· The Amateur Sport Organization Survey has been completed. This web-based survey was designed to provide insight into the issues facing amateur sport organizations today. The survey was administered to approximately 300 sport organizations with more than 160 organizations responding. The survey focused on the areas of leadership and communication, participation, access, infrastructure, bidding, hosting and funding.

The studies and more information on the Civic Sport Policy can be viewed at www.calgary.ca/recreation under consulting services.

Next Steps:
As of May 2005 the original timeline for presentation to Community and Protective Services has changed. In order to meet the requirements of the City of Calgary a revised timeline has been created:

June: Finalize Policy Report (Recommendations, Implementation Plan, Funding Framework)
July: Presentation to City of Calgary Administrative Leadership Team – July 26th
September: Presentation to Community and Protective Services – September 7th

Current Status:
· The Economic Significance of Sport Study has been completed. The purpose of this investigation was to generate an understanding of the expenditures related to amateur sport made in Calgary over a given year. The study focus included active participation in amateur sport, physical education and school sport, as well as spectator and officiating spending in the amateur sport sector. The expenditures assessed include private (household) consumption, public (government) consumption, private investment and a measure of ‘net exports’ (amateur sport-related injections into the Calgary economy by those who not reside in the city).

· The Socio-Cultural Significance of Sport Study is currently underway and will be completed in April. With information garnered through literature reviews and focus groups, a report will be developed, outlining variables policy makers and city administrators need to consider when planning and managing amateur sport in Calgary. The report will provide substantive defence for the creation of a civic sport policy based on social and cultural insight.

· On January 26, 2005, the Steering Committee presented an update to the Aldermanic Committee of Community and Protective Services.

· In January, the Steering Committee retained the service of Jocelyn Burgener of Segue Consulting International Ltd. to assist in developing the policy.

Next Steps:
· The Steering Committee has been gaining momentum and has committed to presenting the final report to the Aldermanic Committee of Community and Protective Services in June 2005. In order to meet that deadline, the following timeline has been developed:

February: Prepare Impact Report
Develop key finding from the three major studies/reports

March Develop Policy Report
Create an overview of best practices as identified by the Steering Committee
Establish guiding principles for policy development
Identify implementation considerations

April Complete Organizational Snapshot of Sport
Develop schematic of existing sport authorities and organizations
Develop schematic of current civic process for allocation of resources for sport related initiatives
Review current Service Delivery and identify gaps in current structure

PREVIOUS COUNCIL DIRECTION
On 2004 January 26, Council approved the recommendation of report APA2004-04d, directing Administration to initiate development of a Civic Sport Policy in conjunction with key stakeholders in the sport community, including the Calgary Sport Council and report to Council through the S.P.C. on Community and Protective Services no later than 2004 December.
CPS2004-78 Extension of The Calgary Civic Sport Policy Update Report was approved by S.P.C. on Community and Protective Services extending the deadline from 2004 December to no later than 2005 February.

RECOMMENDATIONS:That the S.P.C. on Community and Protective Services recommend that Council:
1. Receive this report for information.
2. Direct Administration to bring back a report to the S.P.C. on Community and Protective Services, no later than 2005 July, with a proposed Civic Sport Policy.

INVESTIGATION
The Calgary Civic Sport Policy Steering Committee was formed shortly after Council’s approval to undertake a Civic Sport Policy for Calgary. The Committee met over numerous times since February and an update is included in the Engagement Report (Attachment 1.)

· Establishment of a Charter using the “SMART” planning process.
· Development of an Engagement Plan incorporating five key principles: accountability, inclusiveness, transparency, commitment and responsiveness.
· Development of a Vision, Mission and Principles which will be used to develop the Civic Sport Policy.
· Administration completed literature and best practice reviews on sport policies through out the world.
· Initiated an Economic Significance of Amateur Sports Study within Calgary conducted by Dr. Tim Berrett of Caminata Consulting. Final report is due by December 31.
· Initiated a stakeholder survey using HarGroup to provide feedback from the amateur sport community on issues they face. Final report is due by December 31.
· A Socio-Cultural Significance of Sport Study to be conducted by Dr. Douglas Brown of the University of Calgary is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2005.
· Three updates sent out to Steering Committee membership, identified stakeholders and the Communication Bulletin was also available on the Recreation website (Attachment 2).
· The Steering Committee solicited the expertise of Customer Service and Communications to assist them in establishing a Communication and Public Engagement Plan.

Next Steps:
Once the research studies are completed, the following will be undertaken:

Current State
· Sport community mapping and current state analysis.
· Define roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders by.
Deadline: end of 2005 February.

Analysis
· Gap analysis, assessment of current state vs. desired future state.
· Continued focus on delivering timely communication to all stakeholders and Steering Committee members.
Deadline: end of 2005 May

Policy Development
· Synthesize all information and input into a draft policy.
· Public and stakeholder engagement using the draft policy.
· Finalize Policy.
· Policy approval by Council including any budget implications for The City of Calgary.
Timeline: 2005 January to June.

Implementation of Policy
· Create an Implementation Plan for Council approval.
· Mobilize the Plan.
Timeline: 2005 July to December.

IMPLICATIONS
General
The following observations provide context for the consideration of a Civic Sport Policy:
· A well crafted and thoughtfully implemented Civic Sport Policy will reinforce Calgary’s reputation as a dynamic and exciting place to live and work.
· In order to capitalize on the potential for enhanced community development, the Civic Sport Policy requires a broad based strategy, requiring Civic commitment and leadership.
· The Civic Sport Policy should incorporate the development of a Sport Tourism strategy, which contributes to existing tourism promotion, marketing and economic development initiatives.
· The Civic Sport Policy should establish criteria to assess the sport, economic, social and cultural benefits associated with hosting major sporting events.
· The Civic Sport Policy should review and make recommendations regarding the allocation of resources
· Development of the Civic Sport Policy should proceed and once complete, a well defined implementation plan will be required to ensure the vision is met.

Social
· Community based sports contribute to the strength and vitality of the community.
· Promotion of health and active lifestyles is an important leadership role for The City of Calgary.

Environmental
· Continued discussions and research will be conducted during policy development to analyse environmental impact of the Sport Policy.

Economic (external)
· Calgary benefits economically through sports. Preliminary findings from Dr. Tim Berrett’s Study suggests: Based on information received and analyzed to-date, a total confirmed direct spending in Calgary related to amateur sport activity in 2002 stands at $689.3 million. This does not include the estimated value of volunteer contributions.

BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
Through the 2005 budget process, Administration across the Community Services & Protective Services Department was able to make budget adjustments and prioritize programs in order to fund this initiative within Council’s 2005 shadow budget targets without impacts to front-line services.

The Civic Sport Policy Steering Committee is working with the Calgary Sport Council to research and secure grant funding which may help offset costs.

ATTACHMENTS
1. Civic Sport Policy Engagement Report
2. Update Reports to Stakeholders – 3

On January 26, 2004, City Council directed Administration to initiate the development of a Calgary Civic Sport Policy in conjunction with key stakeholders in the sport community.

· Through a public engagement exercise conducted by the Civic Sport Policy Steering Committee, it was decided that economic, sociological and organization-based research was required to begin development of the Civic Sport Policy.
· The Economic Significance of Amateur Sport study is in its final stages and will be completed by early November. Results of this study will be communicated back to the Steering Committee once they are received.
· The HarGroup Research and Consulting firm has been hired to conduct the online survey of sport organizations within Calgary. The Steering Committee met with Jon Hartenberger of HarGroup in September to discuss survey research requirements.
· Dr. Douglas Brown and research assistant Christopher Drozda (both of the University of Calgary) have been tasked with developing a funding proposal for a Socio-Cultural Significance of Sport survey.
· Jocelyn Bergner has been contracted until the end of the year to assist with certain facets of policy development.
· The Calgary Sport Policy Steering Committee would like to acknowledge Craig Borrows Johnson, who has stepped down as representative for the Calgary Sport Council, and thank him for his involvement with the Calgary Civic Sport Policy. The Steering Committee would also like to welcome Daryl Leinweber as the new representative from the Calgary Sports Council who will be a member of the Calgary Sport Policy Steering Committee.

· The online survey of sport organizations, as developed by HarGroup, will be conducted in November, with the final report due back by the end of the year.
· Once funding is secured for the Socio-Cultural Significance of Sport study, Dr. Douglas Brown and research assistant Christopher Drozda will begin conducting research, this project is expected to be completed by early 2005.
· The Sports Policy team will be developing additional research and engagement initiatives to address any potential gaps left by the above research projects. These will be discussed in more detail with the Steering Committee in the coming months.
· An update report will be presented to the Community and Protective Services Committee of City Council in early January 2005. From this presentation Council will give the Calgary Sport Policy Steering Committee direction to proceed with policy development.

For more information on the Calgary Civic Sport Policy, please contact Ray Peltier with the City of Calgary at 268-5279 or visit the City of Calgary web site at www.calgary.ca/recreation under Consulting Services.

· The Steering Committee met with a Public Engagement Consultant twice in May. These sessions brought to light the need for public consultation and input, and were instrumental in determining the scope of the engagement plan.
· It was decided that economic, sociological and organization-based research must be conducted.
· A Research Consultant was hired in June to assess the Economic Significance of Amateur Sport. A survey was distributed to Sport Organizations in June for their comments.
· A City of Calgary research strategist has been working on developing a Sport Survey strategy for organizations and individuals.
Next Steps:

· The Economic Significance of Amateur Sport report will be completed by October 2004, at which time the results will be communicated to the Civic Sport Policy Steering Committee.
· Once the survey questions have been developed for the Sport Survey, an external research consultant will be hired to oversee the implementation and analysis. This process is expected to take approximately eight weeks.
· A business case is being considered to secure funding for a study on the sociological factors that impact Sport in our city. More information on this study will be available as the business case is developed.
· In order to address any gaps left by the above research methods, ‘Requests for Position Papers’ will be sent to a targeted mailing list as determined by the Steering Committee. These position papers will deal with all aspects of Sport in our city and act as supporting documents to the policy.

The information you provide is important and will contribute to the development of The City of Calgary Civic Sport Policy.

Please take a few minutes to consider and respond to the following brief survey.

PLEASE RESPOND BY JUNE 30, 2004.
All Responses will be kept completely confidential.

You are receiving this e-mail because you have been identified as an important contact person for an organization involved in the delivery of sport programming in The City of Calgary. As part of its role of promoting sport in Calgary, The City of Calgary Civic Sport Policy Steering Committee wishes to determine the economic significance of amateur sport on the City’s economy. Caminata Consulting has been contracted to conduct research and analysis that will provide this information.

The results of the study will be used to illustrate the magnitude of the contribution of amateur sport to the city’s economy providing the foundation for The City of Calgary’s Civic Sport Policy.

As a part of the investigation, we wish to estimate sport group spending and the number (and spending) of athletes and spectators who are currently attracted to Calgary for the purposes of participating in tournaments and other amateur sporting events. In order to provide as accurate as possible an estimate, it is important that the economic activity of as many sport groups as possible is taken into consideration.

Please take a few minutes to consider and respond to the following survey. If you believe that another person in your organization is more able to respond to these questions, please forward this survey to that individual.

If you have any questions about the survey or problems with the attachment, please contact the researcher, Russell Reimer, via e-mail or telephone: rreimer@coda.ca, (403) 247-5617.

Please forward completed responses to the researcher for the study, Russell Reimer:

Email: rreimer@coda.ca
Fax: (403) 247-3129
Mail: Russell Reimer, CODA, 88 Canada Olympic Road SW, Calgary, Alberta T3B 5R5

Throughout March and April, the Steering Committee met and outlined the scope of the project. From these meetings the Steering Committee was able to define the key stakeholders, project deliverables, priorities, and key results, and also develop a timeline for the project.
In April, funding was secured from both the City Council’s Strategic Initiative Fund as well as The City of Calgary’s Community Services department, to begin preliminary research for policy development.

The Steering Committee believes in order to begin developing the policy, key stakeholders must be engaged.
In May the Steering Committee will attend a workshop that will help formulate a communication plan for the development of the policy. The workshop is based on the City of Calgary’s ‘engage’ process.
- The ‘engage’ process is based on the understanding that “…decisions are improved by engaging citizens and other stakeholder groups where appropriate…” and promotes action guided by five key principles including Accountability, Inclusiveness, Transparency, Commitment and Responsiveness.
In May, a Working Committee will be formed to begin research and development of the policy.
A consultant will be hired to conduct research from May through to September focusing on the Economic Significance of Amateur Sport in Calgary.