Parks Operations

Our parks are full of trees and play spaces for all seasons and all interests, providing recreation opportunities for all community members; that’s just part of what we do in the Parks department. You’ll find floral displays by our award-winning horticulture staff, best amusement rides this side of the county fair, amazing settings for your next picnic or event— in an award-winning natural playground.

Our Open Space Planning division works to meet the vision of our community; enhancing our open spaces in a way that meets the needs of our citizens today and into the future. We plan, budget, develop and implement the City’s capital construction programs for parks and trails. We review development applications to ensure adequate parkland or cash-in-lieu to acquire new parkland is available.

Our team in Parks Operations and Forestry, maintain trails, parks, sports fields, playground equipment and open spaces to ensure public safety and beautify our city. This team operates splash pads and the Riverside carousel, and renew and redevelop existing parks and infrastructure, plus we’re ready to support community events, festivals and sports tournaments. And, when it comes to our trees, this group maintains the City’s urban forest through the ongoing implementation of the Urban Forest Management Plan.

There are many opportunities to enjoy the calming effect of nature along the rivers, in forests and other natural areas. The City’s parks, trails and trees are essential to the quality of life in Guelph.

As the community grows, we will continue to add to Sustaining our Future priority by investing in our tree canopy, the environment and natural areas to provide parks and open spaces to enhance the health and wellness of the community. We will also continue reinvest in our parks infrastructure in a sustainable fashion to ensure it is aligned with the needs of our community.

$127,851 or 1.3% net budget increase in 2021:

• $55,081 increase in compensation, increased rates for water and electricity, natural gas, building materials due to inflationary adjustments offset by some savings in operating supplies.
• $58,100 net increase in internal charges due to increased cost of maintenance, insurance charges.

$1,802,138 net increase from 2022 to 2024 mainly due to:

• Inflationary increases for compensation, maintenance, insurance and fuel.
• $775,000 increase related to the implementation of the Urban Forest Master Plan including compensation, operating supplies and contractor services.
• $669,660 is due to additional compensation and other operating expenses relating to sports field, trails and infrastructure projects.