Burlington Aquatic Devilrays Left in Limbo After City's RFP Rejection
The Burlington Aquatic Devilrays (BAD), a Tier 1 competitive swim club with a 40-year history in Burlington, Ontario, has been left in limbo after its proposal was rejected due to a document that does not exist in Ontario. The City of Burlington required a 'Current and Valid Certificate of Incorporation', which Kimberly Calderbank, BAD's Volunteer President, argues is unfair and unjust.
BAD entered the City's pool allocation RFP process in good faith, submitting all required docs and confirming their non-profit status. However, their proposal was rejected as they could not provide the aforementioned non-existent doc. The City's Recreation Facility Space Allocation Procedure outlines historical use, residency, and in-good-standing status as core criteria, which BAD meets. Despite this, the City has not provided core hours allocation, hindering BAD's planning.
The City knew that such a doc does not exist in Ontario and provided alternative documentation instructions in the Adult RFP but not in the Youth RFP. The other applicants, GHAC and Burlington Masters, received the correct information. Calderbank is now calling for a fair, just, and transparent path forward, urging the City to live up to its own principles. The responsible person at the Burlington Citizen Service Office who issued the instruction has not been publicly identified.
BAD, with its significant contributions to Burlington's youth sports reputation, finds itself in a predicament due to a misunderstanding in the City's RFP process. With BAD meeting all the outlined criteria and the City aware of the non-existent doc, a resolution that respects BAD's history and the City's principles is eagerly awaited.
