June is Recreation and Parks Month

Recreation is how we gather, create, and care for each other — on the land, in our parks, and across generations.

June is Recreation and Parks Month in Canada — but around here, it’s not about national designations or campaign hashtags. It’s about what’s already happening on the ground. People gathering. Kids playing. Elders sharing knowledge. Volunteers showing up early and staying late. Artists transforming walls and open spaces. Families getting outside and reconnecting with the land.

Recreation isn’t just something we do. It’s part of how we live, and how we hold each other up.

You’ll see it in the garden beds being planted. You’ll hear it in the laughter from youth trying out paddling for the first time. You’ll feel it when the fire’s lit and someone starts telling a story that’s been carried for generations.

There’s art happening on the land. There are trails being walked that haven’t been walked in a while. And there are new relationships being built between people who might never have crossed paths without these spaces, these programs, and this shared effort to build something better together.

It’s not always perfect. Sometimes it’s messy, slow, or fragile. But it’s real. And it’s working.

This month — and every month — we want to thank the volunteers, youth leaders, Elders, staff, and neighbours who make this work possible. The ones who carry gear, prep food, keep an eye on the kids, lead walks, clean up, or just quietly make sure no one gets left behind.

You are the reason these programs matter. You’re the reason they keep going.

So here’s to June. Not because it’s on a calendar, but because it’s a season of growth, reconnection, and care. Come out. Walk the trail. Join a workshop. Sit in the circle. Or just show up and see what happens.

There’s space for you here.