Background information

The Mayor’s Property Tax Supported Budget (2024-2027) provided funding for an additional four million dollars ($4M) for the implementation of currently unfunded initiatives within the Parks and Recreation Master Plan through the Community Investment Reserve Fund. On March 1, 2024, this funding was deemed adopted through the City of London 2024–2027 Multi-Year Budget process.

The Neighbourhood Parks Improvement Fund is aligned to the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which was approved by Council on June 25, 2019. The Master Plan provides an overall vision, direction, and guidance for planning and making decisions about parks, open spaces, environmental management, recreation programs, sport services, and facilities in London. It is informed by public input and is aligned to local, provincial, and federal policies, strategies, best practices, trends, demographics, and growth forecasts.

The Master Plan contains a series of recommendations, some of which refer to discrete projects or actions and others that provide ongoing and incremental guidance. The City of London manages between 200 to 250 parks projects of varying sizes annually to meet the goals of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Some of these projects were outlined in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Annual Report to Community and Protective Services.

The Neighbourhood Parks Improvement Fund will inject additional funds to help leverage and/or enhance some of these existing projects, support new projects, and accelerate and enhance park amenities across the city.