Six provincial governments and the federal government have laws or are developing them to make sure places are accessible for persons with disabilities. These provinces include British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. They require local governments to create plans to make all their services and spaces accessible. This Guide can help local governments meet or enhance the minimum standards set by their province. Municipal leaders should contact their province’s accessibility directorates to learn more about the laws, standards and resources in their area.

The number of people with disabilities in Canada is growing. It is estimated that about 850,000 children in Canada have a disability (Policy Options, 2023). The 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability found that 27% of Canadians who are over the age of 15 (about eight million people) have at least one disability that affects their daily activities (Statistics Canada, 2023). In addition, 42% of seniors, aged 65 years and older, had four or more coinciding disabilities, while pain related (68%), mobility (63%) and flexibility (59%) were the most common type of disabilities for this demographic (Statistics Canada, 2024).

People with disabilities often have fewer chances to enjoy sports and activities compared to others. This is because they face many barriers, such as physical, social, and emotional challenges (Martin Ginis et al., 2021; Xu et al., 2020; Arbour-Nicitopoulos et al., 2021). These barriers can make it hard for them to feel like they belong in their communities. Sometimes, they are excluded from regular recreation programs and have to participate in separate facilities (Dattilo et al., 2019; Mobily & Johnson, 2021).

A survey led by Engage Nova Scotia in 2019 found that people with disabilities are much less likely to exercise regularly or use community facilities such as recreation centres and parks. They also find it harder to get to these places and often say that the cost of programs stops them from joining in.

Persons with disabilities want to enjoy recreational activities with their friends and family, or in places close to home. Researchers recommend that making recreational environments more inclusive is important. This means creating spaces where everyone can participate together, regardless of their abilities (Strumbo et al., 2011; Gallant et al., 2019).

National frameworks have also emphasized the importance of physical activity and recreation. For example,  A Common Vision for Increasing Physical Activity and Reducing Sedentary Living in Canada: Let’s Get Moving (2018) released by the federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for sport, physical activity and recreation, is a policy framework and call to action to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary living. The Common Vision notes that communities and residents can work with persons living with physical, intellectual, sensory, behavioral, developmental, and other disabilities and those experiencing other challenges, including mental health problems and illnesses to address barriers to physical activity (Federal/Provincial/Territorial Physical Activity and Recreation Committee, 2018, p. 40).

In addition, the Framework for Recreation in Canada, was designed to stimulate coordinated policies and practices in recreation in provinces and territories. A goal of this framework is to increase inclusion and access to recreation for populations that face constraints to their participation (Canadian Parks and Recreation Association/Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council, 2015). All provinces and territories endorsed the document, except for Quebec. In 2017, Quebec published the Policy on Physical Activity, Sport, and Recreation: Quebecers on the Move!, a policy that promotes physically active lifestyles for all Quebecers.

This Guide outlines the first set of practices for persons with disabilities since the Municipal Government Policy Guidelines (no longer in print) were published in 1991 by the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association with the assistance of Dr. Renée Lyons.

Across Canada, many municipalities provide recreational activities for all residents, including those with disabilities. This involves using Universal Design principles to make outdoor spaces accessible and training staff to support inclusion. By offering both structured and unstructured recreational opportunities, municipalities can help people feel a sense of belonging, enjoy activities, have choices, and feel free. This contributes to a better quality of life for everyone (Dattilo et al., 2019; Mobily & Johnson, 2021).

Municipal governments can play many important roles in making their communities vibrant and accessible. They can act as service providers, leaders, champions, partners, employers, investors, or conveners. This is because municipalities are close to people and can raise awareness about important social issues in their communities (Torjman & Leviten-Reid, 2003). In addition, municipalities must think about accessibility when designing new buildings, fixing parks or trails, planning land use, and setting up programs and services (NS Department of Justice, 2018; Kovac, 2019).

As more municipalities across Canada work toward these goals, this Guide offers helpful ideas and recommendations. These ideas can help reduce unnecessary work and improve the quality of recreational activities for everyone.

In 2024, a group called the Consensus Panel was formed. This group included community representatives, municipal staff, researchers, and persons with disabilities. They met in person in Ottawa from September 24 to 25, 2024, and online numerous times in 2024 and 2025 to review the information collected and the various draft versions of the Guide. Between these meetings, the group was surveyed several times to gather more opinions and feedback on the Guide’s purpose, evidence, and drafts. We appreciate the extensive time and expertise that the Consensus Panel members contributed to this project.

Six focus groups from 2024-2025 were held to understand how well recreational activities are available for persons with disabilities in Canada. Twenty people participated in these sessions, including five persons with disabilities, five caregivers, and ten staff members from municipal recreation departments. These participants came from 18 different municipalities across five provinces: Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Alberta. The goal of these sessions was to learn about the current state of recreational opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Our researchers completed five rapid scoping reviews, one for each of the following areas of practice: programming, built environment, workplace culture, staff training, and partnerships. The rapid scoping review method was utilized to gather and summarize existing research in a timely manner. Multiple academic databases with the help of a librarian were accessed, and key search terms were optimized.

Based on knowledge of existing resources and literature, three resources were presented to the Consensus Panel to be used in the Guide. Using a research method called Adolopment allows for organizations and researchers to adopt existing guidelines exactly as they are, adapt them by making some changes, or develop new recommendations from scratch. Our Consensus Panel chose to adapt the three resources below for the following areas of practice.

Area of Practice: Communication
Assisting, Informing and Motivating Physical Activity (AIMPA) Recommendations

Area of Practice: Evaluation
Disability and Physical Activity Program Evaluation Toolkit

Area of Practice: Persuading Decision Makers
Investing in Sport, Physical Activity, and Recreation: How to Influence Decision-Makers Toolkit

We thank the authors of these resources for their support. Please contact Active Abilities Canada at info@activeabilities.ca for author citations.

Drafts were sent across Canada for feedback through a survey. Survey respondents represented all provinces and territories and included municipal recreation professionals, persons with disabilities, and caregivers. Based on the feedback received, changes were made to the Guide.