Building a healthy, active and engaged community through recreation
DRA, since 1983
Dovercourt Recreation Association (DRA) is a not-for-profit, charitable organization (Registered Charity No. 11944 4263 RT0001) dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our community through recreation programs.
In 1983, the City of Ottawa began work on the planning of a new community centre to replace the Westboro Community Centre. DRA was actively involved in the process, and when the new centre opened in 1987, Dovercourt was given the responsibility of managing the new centre through a service agreement. While we are part of the City of Ottawa’s recreation system, DRA is empowered to choose what programs it runs to meet the community’s needs, and how those programs are delivered.
Staff, volunteers, clients, local community groups and businesses working together…that’s Dovercourt.
Our motto:
“A Community Working For the Community, Une communauté qui travaille pour la communauté”.
Dovercourt Recreation Association was Eastern Ontario’s first HIGH FIVE Accredited organization, providing the highest standard of recreation programming for children in Ottawa. Children will find HIGH FIVE® certified leaders in every Aquatic, Recreation, Camp and After-School program.
For our hours of operation, location etc, see the Contact Us page.
Our Executive Director
Sureen Gosal joined Dovercourt as the new Executive Director in July 2022.
Sureen has extensive experience at a senior level working in the not-for-profit sector and has demonstrated to be a community builder for numerous years. Sureen has a degree in business and entrepreneurship from Mount Royal University in Alberta. He departs his role as the Executive Director of the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre (OGC), Canada’s oldest operating not-for-profit gymnastics organization. Passionate about volunteering, he has also occupied many roles with swimming organizations in Alberta and BC.
“I am proud and honoured to be joining Dovercourt and look forward to serving the community with the outstanding team at the DRA,” says Sureen.
Sureen lives in the community with his wife, Preeti, and their two young children.
Our Code of Conduct
Our Pledge to You: As a community based not for profit organization, Dovercourt’s relationship with its clients is critical to its success. We welcome our clients of all ages and will do our best to provide them with a safe and enjoyable environment and high quality and fun recreation programs.
As an employer, Dovercourt is responsible to provide its employees with a rewarding, challenging and safe work environment. For that reason, DRA has expectations of its clients in its day-to-day operations.
Client Code of Conduct
- Treat fellow clients and Dovercourt staff and volunteers with respect and courtesy. Discrimination or harrassment will not be tolerated.
- Meet acceptable levels of personal hygiene or dress, in the interests of your health and safety and the interests of other clients using Dovercourt facilities. Refrain from use of perfumes or colognes that may affect other clients.
- Respect the needs of other clients for enjoyment of the programs and facility. Disruptive behaviour and excessive noise are not acceptable.
- Take care of Dovercourt’s facility, equipment and furniture. These are community assets that are meant to be shared.
- In our programs, respect our allergy aware policy. For registered programs, participants will be informed of any food or drink restrictions that may apply to ensure the safety of those suffering from allergies.
- Keep valuable items with you at all times. Dovercourt is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
- Supervise your children in the public spaces of Dovercourt. While staff supervise programs, your children’s use of the lobby, washrooms and corridors at Dovercourt need your supervision.
- Maintain confidentiality of other clients and staff.
Refusal of Service:
Clients have a responsibility to be respectful and considerate of other service users, employees and volunteers of the Dovercourt Recreation Association. While we will make every effort to work with clients to continue service, failure to respect the code of conduct may result in suspension or refusal to serve.
Individuals may be refused service:
- Where a manager and an employee agree that a client has contravened the above code of conduct.
- Where a client threatens or harms fellow group members, or is disruptive to the group’s ability to function.
- Where a client behaves violently. (See Policy on Prevention of Workplace Violence.)
- Where a client is threatening or obscene in interaction with employees, volunteers or other service users.
Suspension of service or a refusal to serve is at the discretion of the Executive Director of DRA.
Read more
- Our Mission, Motto, Approach and Vision (pdf)
- Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
- Large print version of AODA (pdf)
- Dovercourt – DRA Bylaws (pdf) (May 2016)
For a text-to-voice version of these pdfs, open the files in Adobe Acrobat Reader (get it here), go to the View menu, and select “Read out Loud” to have the file read out loud. Once initiated, there are controls to pause & play.
- Although we will make every effort, we cannot guarantee that this website will always be error-free.
- Any personal information provided to Dovercourt Recreation Centre will not be shared with anyone outside.
- The e-mail addresses that make up our mailing list are not shared with any other organization for any purpose.
- Credit card payments are made on secure pages of an external site.
- General information about web users is collected for website traffic reports. These reports do not reveal the personal information about any individual user.
- Our website, www.dovercourt.org, contains links to other sites. Dovercourt Recreation Association does not claim responsibility for the content, usability or privacy policies of other websites.
- All materials posted on this site are subject to copyrights owned by Dovercourt Recreation Association or other individuals or entities. Any reproduction, retransmission, or republication of all or part of any document found on this site is expressly prohibited, unless Dovercourt Recreation Association or the copyright owner of the material has expressly granted its prior written consent to so reproduce, retransmit or republish the material. All other rights reserved.
- The names, trademarks, service marks and logos of Dovercourt Recreation Association appearing on this site may not be used in any advertising or publicity, or otherwise to indicate the organization’s sponsorship of or affiliation with any product or service, with the organization’s prior express written permission.
- This website provides information and services in furtherance of our mission. We make no representations about the suitability or accuracy of the information on this site for any other purpose.
AGM Report 2023 (May 2024)
AGM report for 2022 (May 2023)