Provincial Sport Policy in Ontario: Trends, Issues, and Ways Forward

Abstract

In Canada, the amateur sport sector operates under a multi-level governance system in which authority is shared between the federal and provincial/territorial governments. Sport participation, however, is facilitated by various organizations at the community-level. The Canadian Sport Policy provides direction for ensuring sport's positive impact on individuals and communities. Yet through two iterations of the national policy, goals for increasing participation have not been met. Despite investments and political will, increasing sport participation remains an elusive and poorly understood policy objective. Regional differences and local implementation challenges persist and are shaped by divergent approaches to governing sport across the provinces and territories. Therefore, it is crucial to examine provincial/territorial approaches to sport policy to understand their strategies and outcomes. Our analysis revealed four overarching findings across the workshop and interview data. Findings consistently underscored challenging experiences with sport policy that hindered their organization’s ability to carry out their mandates and reach their goals and objectives.