Canadian Tire’s JumpStart charity aims to foster equality in sport and recreation. It funds sports fees for the children of families in need—and it also builds sports and recreation infrastructure. The largest playground ever built by JumpStart was officially opened last week in Barrie, Ont. The city’s Painswick Park is the location of the Muriel and A.J. Billes Family Playground.
“Our dream was the inspiration to help in creating a Canada where every child has the opportunity to play, to learn, and to grow. And, oh my, with the help of many, many thousands of supporters, JumpStart has come a very long way towards that goal,” said Martha Billes, the program’s founder. The highly accessible playground is named after her parents. Her father was the co-founder of Canadian Tire with his brother, J.W. Billes.
