2018 Annual Financial Report

CITY OF SURREY OVERVIEWS PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURE DEPARTMENT

The programs, facilities and services of the Parks, Recreation & Culture Department reflect people working together to improve recreation opportunities, protect the natural environment and enhance the quality of life for residents of Surrey. The department is organized into the following core service divisions:

ADMINISTRATION & SUPPORT SERVICES Administration and Support Services’ key role is to provide ongoing support to the General Manager and Division Managers as well as to serve in an administrative department-wide capacity. COMMUNITY AND RECREATION Community and Recreation Services (CRS) operates diverse, state- of-the art facilities across Surrey where individuals, families and the community gather for improved health and well-being through social, educational, recreation and fitness opportunities. Its purpose is to provide quality, accessible health and wellness .By working collaboratively with stakeholders and partners, CRS helps children and youth reach their full potential, support families with services, connects and engages with seniors and enable individuals to thrive. In early 2019, Community Safety transitioned to this division. CULTURE The Culture Division leads the planning, development and implementation of cultural policies, cultural facilities, and contribution of knowledge and leadership to local, regional and national arts, culture and heritage issues and initiatives. The Division provides City-wide arts, heritage, and cultural services including cultural grants.

MARKETING, COMMUNICATION, WEB AND NEW MEDIA

The Corporate Marketing and Communications Division provides expertise, strategic guidance and services related to marketing and communications and community engagement on campaigns and key initiatives. The Web and New Media Section oversees the City’s social media policy and web. PARKS The Parks division plans, develops, and maintains the City’s extensive park system, a civic marina and three cemeteries. The division plays a key role in the stewardship of the natural environment and the engagement of our residents, The division also provides advice and permits to community event organizers and facilitates the review of permit requests through Festivals, Events Service Team (FEST) Committee. SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE The Sustainability Office is responsible for implementing the recommendations contained in the Surrey Sustainability Charter with an over-riding goal of making meaningful advances in sustainability in the City of Surrey.

2 0 1 8 A C C O M P L I S H M E N T S • Enabled 5,000 low-income Surrey families to get access to recreation services at a low cost or for free through the Leisure Access Program. • Successfully piloted the JUMPzone program (modeled after MYzone) as part of the Community Schools Partnership providing critical after school programming to school children ages 8-12. • Hosted 13 tournaments, two BC high school events, 25 Provincial events, five Regional events (including the Whitecaps College Showcase), seven National events, and seven International events in partnership with Sport Surrey. • Opened Walnut Park and implemented 33 modifications to cycling paths in under 20 days in partnership with HUB Cycling. • Expanded the Girls Empowerment Program to eight schools serving approximately 100 female students from grades 8-10 each year.

• Planted over 3,700 trees and 20,000 native plants.

• In collaboration with CRS, Urban Forestry has implemented a year-long nature pre-school program at the Surrey Nature Centre. • Participated in the Rick Hansen Assessment Certification program, whereby 18 recreation facilities were assessed for accessibility, with two sites (Surrey Arts Center and Cloverdale Recreation Centre) receiving Gold Certification. • Hosted the Canucks Autism Network 10th Birthday Party in partnership with the Canucks Autism Network. • Celebrated the opening of the newly expanded Museum of Surrey.

• Introduced indigenous public artworks in eight civic facilities with the the support and guidance of Chiefs and Elders from the Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo First Nations. • Approved the Surrey CityLab partnership with KPU and SFU. • The Bear Creek Park Light Festival expanded to a week-long event and had in excess of 30,000 people visit the park to experience the event. • A new cultural venue, the Crescent Beach Pop-Up Gallery, was opened in 2018 with the renovation of a storage space and a small room on the ground floor of the city-owned Beecher Place building. • A new search engine was implemented for surrey. ca in 2018 to improve the user experience and findability of content included engagement with over 800 direct stakeholders.

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