(Photo credit: Jason van Bruggen)

OTTAWA, ONTARIO (August 10, 2017) – This is the biggest month of the year for the Canadian paddling community, as all three disciplines – marathon, slalom, and sprint – host their national championships.

And this August is particularly pivotal because it marks the release of Canoe Kayak Canada’s (CKC) Vision 2024 Strategic Plan, the most important directional document that CKC has ever produced.

“Paddling is a uniquely Canadian sport with ties to our history and our heritage dating back thousands of years,” said Peter Giles, President of Canoe Kayak Canada. “And we’re a sport for everybody – individuals, families, and communities. We’re building on those strengths to drive participation levels to heights never seen before and to set the stage for sustained international success in all of our disciplines.”

Release of the Vision 2024 Strategic Plan marks the culmination of several years of rigorous review and thoughtful planning, according to Casey Wade, CKC’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’ve done a complete governance review, streamlined our human resource practices, dissected recent international results, and brought all of our disciplines together as one organization. It hasn’t been the most glamorous work, but it’s absolutely critical if we hope to achieve the goals laid out in the Plan.”

Vision 2024 is the product of the most extensive consultation process in CKC’s history: a year-long effort to capture input from athletes, coaches, administrators, partners, officials and volunteers from every part of the country.

“With the benefit of so many good ideas from so many in the paddling community, we’ve set the stage for strong, steady growth in our member clubs, for major grassroots development, and for better results internationally,” Giles added. “What’s exciting about this plan is that it sets unified objectives for all disciplines and all forms of paddle sport. We’ve never had that before.”

Vision 2024 sets out goals in four key areas: Proactive Communications, Enhanced Club and Grassroots Development, Enhanced Performance, and Effective Leadership. Specific indicators have also been identified for each goal so that CKC and member clubs can track progress over time.

“One of the biggest and most ambitious goals is to increase participation numbers by 50% compared to 2016,” added Giles. “Combine that with a goal to increase the number of certified coaches by 25% over that same time frame and we’ll see a huge, positive ripple effect on our entire community.”

CKC has committed to keeping its members updated and to consulting on a regular basis. “We simply can’t deliver on this plan without help from the broader paddling community,” Giles said.

A summary of the Vision 2024 Strategic Plan can be found here. The full document is posted here on the CKC website.

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. 

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For more information:

Casey Wade

Chief Executive Officer

cwade@canoekayak.ca

(O) 613.260.1818 ext. 2203