By Joshua Wall
A little rain didn’t stop the celebration Thursday afternoon as community members gathered for the official ribbon cutting of the new accessible playground at Sunny Hill Park in St. George.
Mayor David Bailey, County staff, and Ward 1 Councillors John MacAlpine and Jennifer Kyle welcomed families and young children eager to explore the new equipment.
The upgraded playground replaces the original structures built nearly twenty years ago and marks a major step toward improving accessibility and inclusion across County parks.
“This park was built roughly 20 years ago, so it was due to be replaced,” said Councillor MacAlpine.
“It’s about making the community more accessible for everyone.”
Despite the wet weather, excitement filled the air as children raced to try out the new features.
“They’d been watching it, waiting for the park to open,” MacAlpine added.
“Despite the weather, they were out there playing before they even knew we were doing the ribbon cutting. It was really nice to see.”
The project was made possible through the support of the Kal Tire Community Program – Kal’s Replay Fund and the St. George Lions Club A15 Ontario, both of which contributed to the funding of the new playground.
Their donations, along with the County’s commitment to accessible recreation, helped bring the long-awaited upgrades to life.
MacAlpine said Sunny Hill Park is the first playground in the County to be upgraded to this level of accessibility.
“I’m not sure yet which ones will be next, but we have close to a hundred parks in the works because of all the growth,” he explained.
When asked about the community impact, MacAlpine said:
“It’s amazing. Some kids can’t necessarily climb or be part of everything, and now they can. These are the times to do it—when you’re already upgrading—because it doesn’t take a lot of extra cost to make a big difference.”
The County of Brant is inviting residents to visit the new playground at Sunny Hill Park, 87 Sunnyside Drive, St. George, and enjoy the inclusive new space built for play, connection, and fun for all.
To learn more about parks and recreation opportunities, visit brant.ca/Parks.
