Canadian Tire is offering the city a new playground in Shipyards Park worth $1 million.

The playground is designed to be accessible and inclusive, and is part of Canadian Tire’s commitment to install accessible playgrounds in each territory and province.

Whitehorse resident Stephanie Dixon is a former Paralympic swimming star, a former coach of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Club and an ambassador to Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program.

She told city council Monday night the first time she saw one of the playgrounds at an unveiling she attended, it brought tears to her eyes.

The playground is designed to accommodate children of all abilities, is completely wheelchair-accessible, and has a dome to provide a quiet space for kids who may want or need a break, Dixon told council.

She said playgrounds are where kids develop a sense of self, a sense of what they can accomplish in the world.

It’s special when you have 100 kids of all abilities playing together and seeing nothing different about each other, and only knowing that they’re all having fun, Dixon said.

“It was absolutely incredible to see those kids playing together.”

Dixon explained it’s her pleasure to serve as an ambassador for the Jumpstart playground program.

The program is part of the chain’s Jumpstart Charities which helps children overcome barriers to sport and play.

The information package provided to council says Jumpstart playground structures “are designed to create developmentally appropriate spaces for kids of all ages and abilities to encourage parallel play.”

Council is being asked to approve the partnership with Jumpstart Charities and its Inclusive Play Project. The city’s responsibility will be to prepare the site prior to the Jumpstart team arriving to do the installation.

Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal next Monday.

Landon Kulych, the city’s manager of parks and community development, explained to council that Shipyards Park is the only playground site in the city that provides the required paved parking, paved accessibility, public washrooms and a public drinking fountain.

The intent is to have the playground installed this summer to be followed next year with rubberizing the 9,500-square-foot surface of the play area, he explained.

Kulych said the playground will be situated inside the ice skating loop, on the south side of the gazebo and fire pit.

Shipyards Park is the city’s marquee location for specials events, he told council, noting there were 100 private and public events held there last year.

“Those 100 days equates to 27 per cent of the year and indicates that the potential addition of a playground would not hinder Shipyard Park’s ability to host festivals and special events, but instead has the potential to enhance interest and attendance,” Kulych told council.

He said staff have looked at the proposal and there’s not likely going to be any increase in operational costs outside of the standard costs associated with the city’s 40 other playground sites.

And since recreational staff are already located at Shipyards Park seven days a week, it’s likely the cost of looking after the Jumpstart playground will be even less than the cost of maintaining the other playgrounds, Kulych said.

Marco Di Buono, associate vice-president of Jumpstart, told council that Canadian Tire has ensured equipment provided is only top of the line, durable and not overly-engineered.

A great deal of thought and input went into designing the playground, he said.

“We have taken care to ensure the actual equipment you are getting requires as little maintenance as possible.”

Di Buono said Jumpstart Charities has helped two million children attain access to sport and play through financial assistance and assisting with disabilities.

The Jumpstart playground is not just a playground but rather a community asset that can be built upon, he told council.

“We see all of these kids of different abilities playing together and we think it is great,” he said. “The kids just think it is normal.”

Since 2018, Jumpstart has installed seven playgrounds across the country: Charlottetown, Winnipeg, Calgary, Toronto, Prince Albert, Sask., Surrey, B.C., and Saint John, N.B.

To celebrate what was referred to as a very generous gift, Mayor Dan Curtis had Dixon and the Canadian Tire representative join council for an impromptu photograph to commemorate the moment.

Dixon will also serve as Canada’s chef de mission for the national team attending the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games this summer.