Platform Update: Governance, Administration and Customer Service
Huntsville is known for its incredible outdoor spaces, vibrant parks, and recreational opportunities. From our lakes and rivers to our trails, playgrounds, and sports facilities, these spaces bring our community together, promote healthy living, and make Huntsville a wonderful place to call home.
As our community continues to grow, we need to ensure our parks and recreational amenities grow with it. Investing in these spaces is an investment in our families, our youth, and our quality of life.
As your Ward Councillor, I will advocate for:
⚽ The installation of playground equipment at the McCulley-Robertson Sports Complex, creating a welcoming space for families and children to enjoy while attending games and community events.
🚣 Increased public water access for swimming and paddle sports throughout Huntsville's waterways, including the Big East River and the Muskoka River, so more residents can safely enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us.
🌳 Continuing to support the implementation of the Community Services Master Plan and the Waterfront Development Strategy to ensure our parks, trails, waterfronts, and recreational facilities continue to meet the needs of our growing community.
🛝 Support adding key priorities for Huntsville-Chaffey in the development of the new Parks Master Plan
Our parks and recreation spaces are more than amenities—they're where memories are made, friendships are built, and community comes together. By planning for the future and investing wisely, we can ensure Huntsville remains a place where residents of all ages can live active, healthy, and connected lives.
I'd love to hear from you. What improvements would you like to see in Huntsville's parks, sports facilities, or waterfront?
#RylindForCouncil #Huntsville #HuntsvilleChaffey #ParksAndRecreation #ActiveLiving #Waterfront #CommunityFirst #MunicipalElection2026
UPDATE August 13th, 2026
McCulley-Robertson Park has become one of Huntsville’s busiest recreational spaces.
Families gather there for soccer, baseball, pickleball, frisbee golf, the dog park and skate park. The Town has made significant investments in the park over the past five years, adding new amenities, lighting and improvements to the baseball facilities.
But we can do more.
There is still no major regional playground on the west side of Highway 11. I believe McCulley-Robertson is the perfect location for one. A playground was identified as a priority in the 2022 Community Services Master Plan that was developed under the previous mayor and council. A master plan is no good if it is developed and then sat on a shelf until it becomes old and outdated. The taxpayers paid for the plan; now it is time to implement it.
I would like to see a new playground at the park, funded through a combination of grants, naming-rights partnerships and corporate sponsorships. I would also explore a community fundraising campaign, with the Town committing to fund the remaining portion once a significant community fundraising target—such as 75%—has been reached.
But there is another piece of the puzzle: getting to the park safely.
Despite all of the investment that has gone into McCulley-Robertson, there is still no dedicated pedestrian connection to the facility.
And this isn't a new issue.
A Huntsville Forester article from 2006 reported that the Parks and Trails Advisory Committee was recommending a trail connection from Muskoka Commerce Park (Superstores Plaza) to the recreation complex. That was 20 years ago. Since then, Huntsville has grown, and so has the use of McCulley-Robertson Park. Yet the pedestrian connection that was being discussed two decades ago still hasn't been completed.
I believe we should stop talking about these connections and start getting them built.
My vision for McCulley-Robertson is simple:
🏗️ Build on the investments we've already made.
🛝 Bring a major playground to the west side of Highway 11.
🚶 Create a safe, dedicated pedestrian connection to the park.
🤝 Find innovative ways to fund these improvements without placing the entire burden on municipal taxpayers.
McCulley-Robertson is already a community hub. Let's finish the job and make it a place that every family can access and enjoy.
It's time to invest in the Huntsville we want to build—not just maintain what we already have.
#RylindForCouncil #Huntsville #McCulleyRobertsonPark #HuntsvilleOntario #BuildingHuntsville