Practical tools to help municipalities do more with less
Municipal recreation departments across Canada are facing a familiar challenge: increasing service demands with flat or tightening budgets. Communities expect more programs, better facilities, and inclusive services while funding remains limited.
The good news? Budget pressure doesn’t always require service cuts. With the right structure, recreation teams can unlock new revenue, reduce inefficiencies, and optimize existing resources often within weeks.
Based on real-world experience working with municipal recreation departments, we’ve developed two practical tools designed to help teams take action immediately.
Tool 1: The 90-Day Budget Optimization Action Plan
The 90-Day Budget Optimization Action Plan provides a clear, step-by-step roadmap for stabilizing and improving your department’s financial performance over a three-month period.
This plan helps teams:
Identify quick revenue opportunities
Reduce unnecessary operational costs
Align programming decisions with financial outcomes
Build internal momentum without increasing workload
Rather than long-term theory, the focus is on what can be done in the next 30, 60, and 90 days—using resources you already have.
Tool 2: Quick Wins Checklist for Recreation Departments
The Quick Wins Checklist is designed for busy teams that need results fast.
This checklist highlights:
Low-effort, high-impact revenue ideas
Cost-saving adjustments that don’t affect service levels
Operational tweaks commonly overlooked in recreation operations
Actions that can be implemented immediately or within a single budget cycle
Many departments find that even a handful of these “quick wins” can generate meaningful financial improvement in a short time.
Why These Tools Work
Both resources are:
Practical and easy to use
Designed specifically for recreation and parks departments
Focused on immediate action not long reports
Suitable for managers, supervisors, and senior leadership teams
They can be used independently or together as part of a broader budget optimization strategy.
Download the Free Resources
To support recreation professionals across the sector, both tools are available for free download.
The 90-Day Budget Optimization Action Plan
The Quick Wins Checklist for Recreation Departments
