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About Parks & Recreation

Mandate, Facilities & Services

Parks and Recreation Department
Mission
Each department within the City of Richmond has its own unique mission that describes the purpose for its existence in helping to bring about the corporate vision for Richmond to be “the most appealing, livable and well-managed community in Canada”. The Mission Statement for the City’s Parks and Recreation Department has been developed with this in mind and is:

“In partnership with our community, we are leaders in providing parks and recreation programs, services, places and spaces that produce an exceptional quality of life for both current and future generations”.

Facilities
Richmond is fortunate to have a long history of investment in parks and recreation as well as a strong volunteer base to support the programs and services available in the community.

Richmond's parks and trails, facilities, programs and services are designed and delivered to provide the greatest benefit to the community as a whole as well as to promote personal growth and enhance the quality of life of individual participants. We endeavour to ensure that programs and services are responsive to the diverse and changing needs within the community and work to remove or minimize barriers to access.

The City provides and maintains over 90 parks, trails and recreation facilities including the Richmond Nature Park, Richmond Pitch & Putt Golf Course, eight Community Centres, four pools and two arenas.

Strategic Planning
Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Master Plan (2005-2015)
The Master Plan is intended to be a strategic and directional resource that will guide policy development and decision making.  It is a comprehensive document to be used as a reference by all those involved in the delivery of parks, recreation and cultural services. 

The Master Plan also addresses the development of additional Service Plans in key service areas and how the City will work with others to ensure that the community plays a meaningful role in the planning for and delivery of services in Richmond.  Descriptions and links to these strategies can be found below:

Demystifying Pamphlets
A series of "Demystifying pamphlets" has been developed to summarize plans that address key areas of strategic focus within the Parks and Recreation department. Each pamphlet presents the strategy highlights and suggests actions that can be considered and implemented by City staff, volunteers and community partners to contribute to the realization of the strategy’s goals and ultimately the City’s vision. 

Research and Planning Resources 
In keeping with the service-based approach described in the PRCS Master Plan 2005-2015, Parks and Recreation staff focus on program and service priorities based on research, planning and system-wide policies. As well as utilizing internal expertise, staff work with external consultants to assess community needs and satisfaction with current programs and services, and to identify service and participation gaps. 

Ipsos Reid Recreation & Physical Fitness Survey
The City of Richmond again scored high marks from the community for its recreation services in the 2010 Recreation & Physical Fitness Survey conducted by Ipsos Reid. The vast majority (91 per cent) of residents are satisfied with Richmond’s recreation facilities, a slight increase from 87 per cent in 2008.

2009 Community Needs Assessment
The 2009 Community Needs Assessment provides an overall snapshot of participation levels and satisfaction with the City of Richmond’s parks, recreation and cultural programs and services, identifies unmet needs and barriers to participation, and offers recommendations for addressing these gaps. 

Departmental Updates
In keeping with the relationship-based approach described in the PRCS Master Plan, the Parks and Recreation Department strives to keep community partners up to date with regular updates on accomplishments, initiatives and projects which may impact how Richmond residents work or play in our community. The Parks and Recreation Communique is a quarterly newsletter designed to meet this goal.