Program pending Council approval
Until the program is adopted by Council, the program is subject to change.
Staff are not accepting new waitlist requests until the program is officially restarted. We anticipate the new program will launch early 2026.
Bench Donation program
Council has approved the development of a new Bench Donation program. This includes creating a formal policy.
The previous program was put on hold and discontinued in 2019. The new program will address issues from the previous version.
Council has directed staff to develop the new policy and return with a draft for final approval. The program is expected to take about a year to develop, as it is a lower priority on the current work plan.
Staff will also:
- Inventory existing benches and plaques.
- Assess their condition.
- Identify possible new bench locations during park planning and trail reviews.
If approved by Council, the updated program will first offer past donors the chance to make a new donation. After that, the program will open to people already on the waitlist, then to new applicants.
The updated program will include revised fees and a new contract under the Fees and Charges Bylaw.
If a past donor chooses not to make a new donation, the location may be offered to the next person on the waitlist, as long as it meets the location criteria in the new parks and trails standards currently in development.