Community Organizations in Recreation and Education (CORE) Procedure

Purpose statement

CORE is a Town of Oakville membership-based program that offers recreational and cultural non-profit, volunteer community groups and organizations support in delivering services to the community.

The Town of Oakville values and promotes the development of culturally enriched, healthy active communities. Through the provision and facilitation of programs and services the town provides residents with the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people, develop leadership abilities and pursue special interests.

Scope

This procedure applies to CORE memberships and provides groups and organizations the ability to access Oakville based school board facilities and receive priority status for Town of Oakville facility access as outlined in the Facility Allocation policy. General Memberships are offered for groups delivering community support, educational or recreational activities (including casual sports groups). Sport Memberships are offered for Youth organizations and provide preferred rental rates for arena ice and floors, pools and sport fields. Cultural Memberships are offered for Cultural Groups and provide preferred rates for cultural rentals at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre.

Procedure

1. All CORE memberships will be reviewed by the Recreation and Culture department to ensure eligibility requirements have been met. Additional information may be requested at any time.
2. Notification will be provided to the group regarding the outcome of their application, (electronically, where possible).
3. The membership shall be added to the organizations Recreation and Culture account to identify status and to assist in the administration of the program. Membership fees are required at this time.
4. All facility booking requests will be made through the applicable booking process depending on location.

CORE Membership Eligibility Criteria

CORE has three membership categories. The categories, applications and membership fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Renewal date will be April 1 annually. Membership fees are not prorated. The town reserves the right to determine applicable membership category from submitted information. Memberships are open to any Oakville volunteer based, non-profit community organization that meets the following criteria:

General Membership - Intended for groups whose primary focus is delivering community support, educational or recreational activities (including casual sports groups).

1. Provides recreational, leisure, cultural or educational activities or volunteer services.
2. Has a minimum of 85% of the organization’s membership or registrants as Oakville residents. Requests for exceptions must be made in writing to the Recreation and Culture department on an annual basis. Consideration may be given to groups that serve the greater Halton Region, or to groups who require additional members to support the operation of the group. A detailed “Declared Non-Residents List” must be provided to the town. The director of Recreation and Culture or his/her designate, will make the final decision on residency exception requests.
3. Can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the town that it is capable of carrying out its objectives and its financial obligations.
4. Has demonstrated through financial documents that no member(s) of the organization receive(s) personal financial gain.
5. Adheres to the Ontario Human Rights Code and makes membership available to all Oakville residents.

Sport Membership - Required for sports groups that offer a competitive program stream and/or organizations that utilize significant sport facility time.

1. All criteria listed under general membership plus: 
   For minor sport organizations that offer various programming streams, has a minimum residency requirement of 95% for house league programs and 75% for Rep programs.
2. Must be a member not under suspension or probation or other ongoing disciplinary sanction with an Ontario Recognized Provincial and Multi Sport Organization where one exists.
3. Operates under the authority of a volunteer board or executive committee comprised of no less than five duly elected members, who must all be residents of Oakville. Requests for exceptions must be made in writing to the Recreation and Culture department on an annual basis. Consideration may be given to groups that serve the greater Halton Region, or to groups who require additional members to support the operation of the group. A detailed “Declared Non-Residents List” must be provided to the town. The director of Recreation and Culture or his/her designate, will make the final decision on residency exception requests.
4. Holds an annual general meeting at which the board of directors or executive committee is elected from the general membership through a democratic election process.
5. The group must have a written constitution and by-laws or operating guidelines establishing the framework within which the group will operate including the process for disposing of assets upon dissolution of the group.
6. The group must be able to provide (upon request) financial statements of the previous operating year’s expenditures and revenues (where applicable) and a budget for the next operating year, signed by two authorized signing officers or an independent certified accounting firm or, for groups with expenditures over $100,000, an audited financial statement.
7. Has been actively operating for at least one year.

Cultural Group Membership - Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre (QEPCCC)

All criteria listed under General Membership plus:

1. Is a Cultural group whose primary mandate is offering programs or activities in performing arts, visual arts, media arts, graphic arts, literary arts, music or cultural heritage.
2. Provide 15 annual Membership Commitment Hours to QEPCCC, as defined in the QEPCCC Operating Plan.
3. Operate under a volunteer board or executive committee, comprised of five or more members.

Ineligible Groups

1. CORE membership shall not be provided to groups or organizations whose reputation could prove detrimental to the town’s public image as a provider and supporter of quality programs and services. Quality assurance standards such as HIGH FIVE are utilized to assess quality.
2. The town will not provide CORE membership to any group or organization that in any way:
   1. Promotes alcohol and other addictive substances, at events or venues geared primarily to children and youth.
   2. Promotes the sale of tobacco.
   3. Promotes pornography.
   4. Promotes the support of or involvement in the production, distribution, and sale of weapons and other life-threatening products.
   5. Promotes the support of demeaning or derogatory portrayals of individuals or groups or contain any message that is likely to cause deep or widespread offence.
   6. Promotes religious or political messages that might be deemed prejudicial to other religious or political groups.
   7. Promotes a political party or election candidate
   8. Associated with a “parent” organization that is a CORE member.
   9. Under suspension or probation or other ongoing disciplinary sanction with a recognized Ontario Provincial and Multi Sport Organization, where one exists.
   10. Duplicate the services of another recognized CORE member unless it can be demonstrated that the existing CORE member cannot meet the community need and that additional town services/resources are not required.

Benefits

General and Sport Membership Benefits:

• Direct link to member website from the town website
• Free community contact line listing in the Parks, Recreation and Culture guide
• Advertising and promotional opportunities within Recreation and Culture print and digital media at preferred rates.
• Potential to partner with the town on mutually beneficial initiatives
• Support with leadership development and necessary training.
• Access to Oakville based school board facilities and Priority status for Town of Oakville facility rentals (subject to allocation policy and specific facility type procedures).
• Allocation order:
  
  Town Programs and Services
  CORE Youth Sport
  CORE Youth
  CORE Adult Sport
  CORE Adult
  Non-CORE Youth
  Non-CORE Adult
  Commercial groups

Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre – Cultural Group Member Benefits:

All benefits under General and Sport Membership along with:

• Preferred cultural room rental and storage rates at QEPCCC.
• Ability to participate in volunteer hour bank.
• Ability to propose and sponsor exhibitions in the corridor galleries at QEPCCC.

Expectations

The Recreation and Culture department ensures and maintains high standards for its direct programs and services offered to the community. The department is committed to quality assurance programs such as the Parks and Recreation Ontario HIGH FIVE – The Best Way to Play Program which promotes healthy child development in children’s programs.

All recreation, culture and sport providers have a responsibility to provide programs, activities and environments in which children feel safe, welcome, competent, connected, empowered, and special. As the town provides support to CORE members, their programs are viewed as an extension of the Town of Oakville’s recreation service delivery system. As such, all CORE members offering children’s programs are expected to maintain and uphold these high standards of operation and support healthy child development.

The Recreation and Culture department reserves the right to request, at any time, further information concerning the operation or status of a program, club or organization to assist with the approval and evaluation of CORE members and their programs. Furthermore, the town reserves the right to revoke a CORE membership from any group who, based on further information that comes forward after approval, is assessed to have misrepresented the organization’s non-profit status or who no longer meets the criteria of CORE.

Definitions

Non-profit organization (NPO)

The department accepts the definition for non-profit organization (NPO) as described in the Income Tax Act:

“A Club, Society or Association that is organized solely for:

•  Social welfare
• Civic improvement
• Pleasure and recreation or any other purpose except profit”

No member(s) of a NPO may receive personal financial gain as a result of membership. Organizations charging fees (other than membership dues), for providing services such as teaching programs, running clinics, classes or camps, may be asked to verify their NPO status by providing financial information and operating guidelines.

Youth organization

For the purpose of this procedure youth organizations are groups that comprise a minimum 85% of participants under the age of 19.

Recognized Provincial and Multi Sport Organizations

The department accepts the definition for Recognized Provincial and Multi Sport Organizations as described on the government of Ontario’s website.

“Provincial and Multi Sport Organizations are independent, non-profit organizations, responsible for delivering programming province-wide and influencing participation, excellence, capacity and interaction in sport at the provincial level. Every Provincial and Multi Sport Organization is affiliated to a National Sport Organization and it is the responsibility of these two organizations to ensure the safe development and operation of every aspect of their sport.”

Responsibilities

The Manager, Support Services is responsible to ensure that this procedure is complied with.

The director of Recreation and Culture or his/her designate, is responsible to make the final decision pertaining to the exception criteria outlined in this procedure.