A review of recreation programs and how resources are allocated came at the request of city council, particularly from Ward Anirniq councillor Erin Rutherford.

While the city has programs targeting a diverse range of people, Edmonton is in the dark about whether its programs are truly meeting Edmontonians’ needs because they haven’t been consistently reaching out to the broader public to identify wants, gaps and barriers, nor has the city been using demographic data to support this work, according to a new audit report. The auditor found Edmonton’s community and recreation branch overall doesn’t have an effective approach to equity because they do not have a clear plan to achieve this, nor a way to track results.

The administrators’ report written in response the audit says a balance must be struck between the provision of programming with the consideration of operational costs, revenue offset and ensuring the utmost is done to minimize tax levy increases so as not to further impact known structural budget challenges.