Cambridge council taking a gradual approach to improve baseball diamond accessibility
Cambridge councillors want to make baseball games inclusive in their city, pledging to explore funding to make a diamond in Riverside Park more accessible in the 2025 budget.
The Kin 1 diamond at Riverside Park is used by Buddy League, a challenger baseball program that adapts the game to each player’s needs.
However, participants say there are numerous problems with the site, from potholes in the parking lot, to the rough gravel path that leads to the diamond, to dugouts and seating that are not accessible.
“Fields shouldn’t be the challenge, the sport should,” Michael Papaioannou, a player who uses a wheelchair, explained to Cambridge councillors.
“I just want a place where I can play baseball like any other kid,” said Holden Sisek, another player who also uses a wheelchair, during his delegation.
Buddy League was launched in 2018 and, this past summer, about 110 athletes took part in the program. Participants call it a source of friendship, sport, confidence and fun.
But for Papaioannou, not being able to get his wheelchair into the dugout is tough.
“It's hard to move and position myself in those spaces which makes me feel separated from the rest of the team,” he said.
Another major concern at the field is the washrooms.
“Right now there is no way for me to use the washroom at the baseball diamond. I tried one time but I couldn't even make it into the stall,” Sisek said.
“When we play on this diamond our athletes and families can often feel like they are guests, not like they truly belong,” explained head coach and league coordinator Cam Linwood. “It sends a subtle but difficult message: this space wasn't made for you.”
The request – a fully accessible field. City staff have estimated the cost for that at $3,000,000. Tuesday night, councillors committed to looking at what they can do in next year’s budget to implement changes using a phased approach.
“We're going to look at it from a scoping out perspective,” said Ward 5 councillor Sheri Roberts, who put forward the motion to address the issue in the 2025 budget process. “What can we do initially to make this safe and accessible for our athletes and then work on it from there incrementally?”
Roberts, who uses a wheelchair herself, said the concerns raised about the parking lot, path, seating and washrooms could be addressed first.
“These are the sort of the things we think we can do that will make a really dramatic improvement in terms of accessibility in this space to start with,” she told CTV News, saying the eventual goal of a top-of-the-line accessible baseball diamond can follow.
To help with the costs, the city is planning on applying for a grant from the Jays Care Foundation. It’s also hoped the community will step up with sponsorships.
“I know businesses have approached me: ‘How can I give, how can I sponsor?’ I think for us now, as council, we should just say this is it,” said Helen Shwery, the councillor for Ward 1, which includes Riverside Park.
Shwery had originally suggested that council should look at this item in the 2026 budget cycle, saying it made more sense to her to have a more complete plan in place, including getting sponsorships. Ultimately though, she voted with other councillors to approve the motion to start looking at what can be done in 2025.
“I hope this goes quickly,” Shwery said. “And I hope the phased approach doesn’t mean longer.”
She added that the vote, which was unanimous among all councillors present on Tuesday, sends a strong message about the importance of this project.
The team’s coach calls the project their own “Field of Dreams.” But unlike the 1989 film, the players have come before the field.
“We're not saying: 'If you build it, they will come' -- we're already here. And through this project we believe that so many more in our community will benefit from that support,” said Linwood.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live election results: Trump retakes the White House, defeats Harris by winning key swing states
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, clearing the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.
Trump wins the White House in political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
PM Trudeau congratulates Donald Trump on presidential victory
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Donald Trump early Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Donald Trump has a long enemies list, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on it
In his column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says Donald Trump's icy relationship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could aggravate what already promises to be a very difficult situation for Canada, socially, economically and environmentally.
Kamala Harris made a historic dash for the White House. Here's why she fell short.
It was a moment that encapsulated one of the biggest challenges facing U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign – which, in the end, proved insurmountable. A country crying out for change got a candidate who, at a crucial moment as more voters were tuning in, decided to soft-pedal the change she knew she represented.
Harris to concede defeat to Trump in evening speech, sources tell Reuters
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver a speech conceding defeat in the presidential election to Donald Trump at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT) on Wednesday, two sources told Reuters.
Various popular brands of bread and buns have been recalled in Canada
Dozens of popular brands of bread have been recalled in Canada after pieces of metal were discovered in some of the products.
U.K. doctor gets 31 years for poisoning mother's partner with fake COVID vaccine
A British doctor who was disgruntled about his inheritance and injected his mother's boyfriend with poison presented as a COVID-19 vaccine was sentenced Wednesday to 31 years in prison.
Saskatchewan health officials warn of typhoid fever exposure at pizza restaurant
The Saskatchewan Health Authority says people who ate food from a pizza restaurant near Saskatoon last month may have been exposed to typhoid fever.