Recreation
Community needs space. Free third places, open to all ages, are where strangers become neighbours. We need more of them, especially in the densest neighbourhoods where loneliness hits hardest. The cheapest fix is activating space the city already owns, in partnership with the non-profits already doing the work.
Where I stand
People do not bond over shared pavement. They bond in coffee shops, on park benches, in the library, in line at the market, at the rink, at a festival. Sociologists call these third places: not home, not work, but the in-between where strangers become neighbours.
The paid third places are pricing more and more people out. At the same time, households are smaller and apartments are shrinking: it is harder to invite people over. Saint John has good public alternatives. The library is a quiet treasure. The waterfront draws people in good weather. Most neighbourhoods have a community centre.
But there is a gap right in the middle of the city. The densest, most walkable part of Saint John is short on free, general-purpose third places open to all ages. Working-age adults and seniors in particular have fewer places to drop in, hang out, and meet a neighbour without pulling out a wallet. PULSE is the smallest community hub. And funding for adult programming is scarce.
The new school on the South End will include a community hub, but it will be centred around the kids: after-school programming, childcare and parental support. But when the new school opens, Saint John the Baptist will become available. It’s a large space. A residential conversion, with a community centre, could be the answer to two problems: housing and a lack of communal spaces.
An idea I would like to explore is a Summer Passport for Kids. One pass, many camps and activities across the city. Coordinated so parents can navigate registrations, payments, schedules and waiting lists more easily. And providers have a single entry point to advertise, and don’t have to maintain their own systems for registrations, consent forms, personal details.
What I will push for on council
- Summer Passport for Kids: city-wide, one pass, many camps and activities, organized so a single registration unlocks the city.
- Help clubs, non-profits, and volunteer groups access affordable venues.
- Promote after-hours use of schools for extracurriculars and community gatherings.
- Activate underused indoor space in the core: library meeting rooms, upper floors of City Market, indoor space at Brunswick Square. Office vacancy is still around 25%; striking deals with office building owners could bring new life to programs struggling to find a space.
- Coordinate with the library, BGC, churches, and non-profits to fill the winter calendar with adult drop-in programming.
- Fund and promote what already exists: The Gathering Place, Moonlight Bazaar, Uptown Sparkles, Santa Parade.
- Seasonal pedestrian streets and free outdoor festival venues. Saint John uptown is built for it.