Sidney council opts for an accessible new playground for Brethour Park

By removing barriers to caregiver support for children with disabilities, Sidney council aims to make Brethour Park better for playing—and for staying. After reviewing several design options and considering feedback from the Saanich Peninsula Accessibility Advisory Committee, council selected a Habitat Systems Inc. design option for an accessible playground there.

Council was faced with a choice between prioritizing accessibility (i.e. the minimum requirements for easily getting into and around a playground) and inclusivity (design features that support children and caregivers with physical disabilities fully enjoying the space). In funding the most inclusive of the possible options, Sidney council has tried to achieve both.

According to Physical & Health Canada, 38% of Canadian children with a disability almost never get physical exercise after school, compared to 10% of typically developing children. This means that children with disabilities and their families are also at higher risk of social isolation. According to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 53% of kids who have disabilities have zero or only one close friend. The new playground will help local kids, with and without disabilities, play and build friendships.

In November Sidney adopted an accessibility plan that commits it to Accessible BC Act (ABCA) requirements including “universal design,” i.e. designing spaces so that people of all ages, sizes, and abilities can access, understand, and use them.

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Benefits for neighbourhood as a whole

The playground, slated to open next summer, will have a fully rubberized surface, friendship swing, and a gazebo-style We-Go-Round with seating and space for wheelchairs—the first inclusive merry-go-round of its kind on the peninsula.

“It’s important,” said Coun. Steve Duck, “that we recognize that this will be a major destination park on the west side and that we make it as attractive and welcoming as possible for all age groups and abilities.”

The park will have a play structure for school-aged kids (ages 5-12) and another for toddlers and preschool ages (1.5-5).

“There are a lot of young children in home childcare,” Coun. Scott Garnett said, “and so it would be great if our community could have the added playground of 1.5 to 5s so that there is something else for them.”

Sidney has been struggling to retain young families; despite the town’s notable overall growth, it has fewer residents under 15 than it did back in 2006.

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Cost, surface, and other specs debated

Council agreed that a fully rubberized surface versus engineered wood chips would be best for Sidney residents because of its aging population and, consequently, the elevated chance that a child would be accompanied by a caregiver who may have mobility challenges. Engineered wood chips also make it harder for parents pushing strollers or pulling wagons to access play spaces.

The estimated cost for the playground is $285,491, which according to the decision will include $156k from Sidney’s Growing Communities Fund. That will balance out the higher cost compared to the more basic design options. Coun. Sara Duncan had some concerns around the cost of maintenance demands of some of the proposed equipment. She cited other Sidney park infrastructure that required frequent repairs—making it less, not more, accessible.

Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith told Capital Daily that as Sidney moves forward with its Parks Master Plan, it is exciting to see places like Brethour Park transitioning into community hubs.