The Ontario Recreation Facilities Association (ORFA) is hosting a three-day aging recreation
infrastructure symposium October 6-8, 2025 in Markham, Ontario that will focus on raising awareness of the looming recreation facility crisis.
As the original Wintario and Centennial projects of the late 1960s and early 1970s enter their senior
phase of a building life cycle, there are warning flags that must be addressed for those that own
and operate these important recreation infrastructure assets. Recreation facilities are the “hub” of a
community and provide benefits that include social, economic, health and welfare spin-offs.
The ORFA, in partnership with other key stakeholders, is providing leadership in creating discussion
and awareness on the reality of the predictable decommissioning of many of these original recreation
structures, as they pass their projected life expectancy.
Many structured recreational activities require safe and well-maintained recreational infrastructure
to support these activities. As these facilities are lost, many of the organizations responsible for
programming will be challenged to remain active and solvent.
This symposium is designed to look back and forward at the same time. It will explore opportunities
to extend the existing life expectancy of current infrastructure, provide waypoints to help identify when
it is no longer viable to maintain aged buildings and finally, how we might build better recreational
investments moving forward.
