Senior Manager, Recreation Operations, City of Hamilton Assistant Basketball Coach, Mohawk College

Janine Gaunt is a long-time volunteer in the Hamilton sports community.

A graduate of the Recreation Leadership program, today she is the Senior Manager of Recreation Operations at the City of Hamilton and an assistant basketball coach at Mohawk College.

Since 2004, Janine has been a volunteer basketball coach for house league and rep programs at Blessed Sacrament Basketball, Soldiers JUEL and Ontario Basketball Talent Identification Camps. She has a Level 2 National Coaching Certification and well as training in Safe Sport. Along the way, she has coached and mentored many girls and young women from the ages of 3 to 19. In 2024, Janine was awarded the Bernetta Scime Assistant Coach of the Year Award for her contribution to the Women’s Basketball Program at Mohawk College.

Her volunteer sporting contributions also include over 20 years as an official with the Hamilton Board of Approved Basketball Officials, where she served as treasurer as well as the Secretary for the Ontario Universities Association (OUA) West Panel of Officials. Janine championed a path for female officials on local, provincial and national courts, and officiated high level events like OFSAA championships, OCAA championships, OUA and CCAA championships.

Janine has also volunteered as a coach and chaperone for three International Children's Games competitions. She served on the organizing committee for the Hamilton event in 1994 and 2000, and is now a Director and Secretary with the Hamilton chapter of the International Children’s Games.

Her other volunteer activities have included the World Basketball Championships in 1994, the World Road Cycling Championships in 2003, as well as many other events across the city. She has been part of the efforts to bring events to Hamilton including the Commonwealth Games, Ontario Seniors’ Games, International Children’s Games and Ontario Summer Games.

She was a contributor to the creation of The City of Hamilton’s Recreation Master Plan in 2022 and was a recipient of a 2016 Employee Spirit Award.

Janine was a part-time faculty member in Mohawk’s Recreation and Leisure Studies program and in the Special Events graduate certificate program.

In her 34-year career with the City of Hamilton, Janine has developed and trained hundreds of youth in the recreation field and has influenced many recreation programs and partnerships in the community. In her current role, she provides guidance and leadership for recreation centres, indoor and outdoor pools, seniors centres, seasonal programs, camps and city-wide standards for the Recreation Division.

Through programs that Janine has coached or collaborated on, many athletes have continued the sport at higher levels including OCAA, OUA and NCAA. Janine is an advocate for women in sport and leadership roles and truly embraces the concept “if you can see it, you can be it”.