'We're seeing great success': Project brings basketball courts to B.C. Indigenous communities
Brand-new basketball courts are being installed in Indigenous communities in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island thanks to an initiative called Court Projects.
Basketball is becoming increasingly popular in Canada. It’s now the most played team sport among youth aged 13 to 18 in the country, and the most popular sport among Indigenous youth in B.C., Dylan Kular, team president of the Vancouver Bandits said.
The program is a collaboration between B.C.’s Canadian Elite Basketball League team, the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (I-SPARC) and several local partners.
The four outdoor courts completed or under construction are in Shxwhá:y Village and Soowahlie First Nation in Chilliwack, Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo and Sumas First Nation in Abbotsford.
“Basketball, hockey, soccer and baseball are the main sports within Soowahlie. Basketball has been on the back burner because of not having a court, but now having the court is going to bring it to our community in a greater way,” said Chief Brenda Wallace in a statement.
Kular told CTV News that many youth aren’t part of a school or community basketball team, and play basketball at public outdoor courts on their spare time. However, many outdoor courts have broken rims or no net.
The project aims to enhance existing courts and build new ones that have proper backboards, net mesh, rims and fresh paint.
He said 28 courts across the Lower Mainland—in Abbotsford, Surrey, Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows and Chilliwack—have already been upgraded by the project.
“We’re seeing great success already,” Kular said. “Kids are now racing to those courts at lunchtime.”
He added that communities can reach out to the Vancouver Bandits if they want to get involved in the Court Projects, and some already have, helping people of all ages stay active and have fun.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Judge grants U of T injunction to clear pro-Palestinian encampment from downtown Toronto campus
An Ontario judge has granted the University of Toronto an injunction allowing it to clear out a pro-Palestinian encampment from its downtown Toronto campus
Altercation between 'numerous' golfers on B.C. course broken up by RCMP
Authorities broke up an altercation involving "numerous" golfers at a course in B.C.'s Lower Mainland over the weekend – an incident that was apparently prompted by serious breaches in etiquette.
Senior charged in shooting of teen on rural property north of Edmonton
A Sturgeon County man has been charged after he allegedly shot a teen over the weekend.
Eastern Ontario doctor accused of killing four patients acquitted of murder charges, negligence
An eastern Ontario doctor facing four charges of first-degree murder and negligence causing death in connection with the deaths of four seniors at a Hawkesbury hospital was acquitted on all charges at the Ottawa courthouse on Tuesday.
Are fewer Canadians having children? We want to hear from you
Are you choosing not to have children? CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.
Ontario police seize over $1M in cocaine, $300K in cash in major drug bust
Police in Cornwall, Ont. have seized approximately $1.3 million worth of cocaine and $300,000 in cash as part of a major drugs investigation.
RFK Jr. says he has 'skeletons in my closet' after sexual assault allegation
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Tuesday he has 'so many skeletons in my closet,' when asked about an allegation in a Vanity Fair article that he sexually assaulted a former family babysitter.
NHL free agency shows teams in U.S. states with no income tax have an advantage
It's become difficult to deny the impact of favourable tax situations for teams around the NHL.
'He was bigger than life': Former broadcaster Scott Boyd dies at 68
Former Breakfast Television co-host and radio broadcaster Scott Boyd has died at the age of 68.