Latest news with #ZatzmanSportsplex
CTV News
25-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Halifax seeks public input on singular membership for recreational facilities
The Halifax Regional Municipality is exploring the idea of creating one membership to cover all of its recreational facilities – but it's seeking public input on the idea first. The idea has been years in the making, says Sam Austin, the councillor for Dartmouth Centre, which includes the Zatzman Sportsplex. 'It could be as simple as, 'Hey, I work in downtown Halifax and want to use Centennial Pool during the day, during my work day, but then I'm living out in Cole Harbour and on the days I'm working from home, or on the weekends, I want to use Cole Harbour Place,' he told CTV News on Sunday. A public survey is now live on the municipality's website and one of the questions asked is if people would be willing to pay additional membership fees to have access to multiple municipal recreation facilities. While affordable recreation has been a priority for the municipality, Austin says a cost increase isn't guaranteed. Sam Austin Sam Austin, the HRM councillor for Dartmouth Centre, says the idea to look at a 'One Membership' option for the city's rec facilities has been years in the making. (CTV Atlantic/Callum Smith) 'Maybe, maybe not,' he says. 'If you have one access membership, we can do things more easily, like target supports to folks who really need it.' On the flip side, he says an idea like this has the potential to make memberships more appealing and drive-up demand, 'which then puts more money into the municipal coffers and takes pressure off the existing folks.' Austin points to success in the private sector, like what GoodLife Fitness has done, for example, offering tiered memberships, including one that only allows access to a 'home club,' while others offer access to all facilities. But another alternative that could arise from discussions could be to simply offer discounts to people who purchase a second membership at a different venue. 'My hope is that we can look at this and find a way to provide better access to all the residents that these facilities are actually for; that's really what it's all about,' he says. 'You could do nothing; you could have discounted access; you can have just one HRM membership to rule them all, so to speak.' Or it could be anything in between. The survey closes at the end of June. There will then be a 'data analysis' period from July to September, before a report is brought back to council no later than next February. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
29-04-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Reimagined Ice Bucket Challenge comes to the Maritimes
It might not be 2014, but the Ice Bucket Challenge is sweeping social media for a new cause. Reimagined by Wade Jefferson at the University of South Carolina, the Speak Your MIND Ice Bucket Challenge is focusing on mental health this time around, and it's making waves north of the border. 'We saw it as an opportunity and a platform to bring more awareness to mental health issues,' said Lana McMullen, director of programs and services at the Zatzman Sportsplex in Dartmouth, N.S. The Sportsplex was nominated by Cole Harbour Place and accepted the challenge with open arms. 'A wider audience again is always a good thing. I thought we would accept the challenge and take the opportunity to use that platform and get that message out there to hopefully reach more people,' McMullen said. The challenge is not associated with any mental health organizations in Canada, but still seeks to spread awareness. 'Raising awareness leads to action,' said Neicole Killawee, communications manager for the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. 'And what we really want is more and more people to get comfortable with the idea that it's okay to not be okay, and that help is available.' 'While CMHA Nova Scotia is not formally involved in the initiative, we're encouraged to see Nova Scotians taking part and choosing to donate to CMHA,' said Johanne Thompson, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association's Nova Scotia division. 'We've also heard that several of our counterparts across the country and in Atlantic Canada have received support through this renewed effort — a clear sign of how deeply this cause resonates with communities in our region." 'We just took the opportunity to get that message to people,' McMullen said. 'If people want to make donations, absolutely. There are plenty of foundations that will graciously accept donations. But it was more about getting the message out that says, these are the people that can help you. 'A lot of people come through these doors knowing that the benefits that they get from participating in activities in this facility are beneficial to them and to their mental health, and it's detrimental to their mental health when they don't. If we can get a message out there to somebody having a mental health crisis, these are the numbers to call if you need help.'
