I am fortunate enough to own 101 acres of rural property, about 75 minutes east of Toronto. I like to show people what is happening there. A farmer grows crops, a fox and a porcupine live in the woods, and an osprey family flies overhead. I have planted and labelled 120 different native trees and shrubs. There is also about three acres of recreated tallgrass prairie.

I know that kids in the city spend too much time in front of computer screens, and too many of them have little opportunity to run wild in the open air, see where there food comes from. They rarely get the opportunity to follow a butterfly as it goes from flower to flower, or to marvel at the size of an old-growth oak tree.

So, I was delighted to find a charitable organization which would bring a bus-load of inner city kids to my property for a day, and work with me to develop a program of experiential outdoor education for them.

Rice Lake prairie: A great place for kids to run around and see nature up close

It seemed like a match made in heaven, until the issue of liability came up, and then the wheels fell off.

The charity felt that they needed insurance coverage in case anything bad happened to the kids while they were looking after them. Their board insisted that this was essential, but somehow the charity was not able to arrange coverage. Usually they have insurance while the kids are in transit to or from an event, but then that venue, such as a theatre, a sportsground, or a concert hall, has coverage in case anything happens to them while they are there.

I asked my insurance company if kids walking around and playing on my property were covered by my existing policy, and they said that they were, as long as I was not charging admission. It seemed as if the problem was solved. However, the charity wanted their name to be added to my policy as being specifically insured. My insurance company advised me against this, as if we went that route we would be a target, the obvious people to sue in the event of an accident.

The whole program has now fallen through as it has been impossible to get documentation of insurance which meets the charity’s requirement.

It is so sad, and so crazy. The kids will actually be safer running through a field of tall grass then they would be crossing the road in the city. They are more likely to get pushed onto the city subway tracks than to be eaten by  a bear. Terrorist are really unlikely target a farmer’s field.

The plan was for the kids to spend a day in a place which is safer than the city. It is good for their mental and physical health to get outside and be active in a natural environment.

But because of the charity’s approach to “Risk Management” the kids will be exposed to all the dangers of another day in the city, and miss out on the opportunity to run wild, watch the ospreys build their nest and pick wildflowers.