After March 31, there will be no more ice at the Sunshine Coast Arena this season, despite pleas to keep it available longer.
At the March 18 meeting of the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) planning and community development committee, directors accepted the staff recommendation not to extend the ice time for an additional nine weeks. In letters to the SCRD, both the Sunshine Coast Skating Club (SCSC) and Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association (SCMHA) asked to keep the ice at the Sechelt arena until the end of May.
Planning and community development general manager Ian Hall told the board that, given the impact of the province’s public health order on recreation, the incremental costs are a long way from being covered.
Spring ice time can be offered past March at the Sunshine Coast Arena if there is enough demand from user groups to cover the variable costs. The ice at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre is in place from September to mid-March, and can be extended by opening in August if there is enough demand. This year, the staff report said the incremental cost of ice is $7,435 per week, but the demand does not meet this amount.
One of the constraints on demand is the provincial public health order currently in effect, which prohibits adult indoor and outdoor team sports. For youth teams under 22 years old, games, tournaments and competitions are temporarily suspended, although they can continue training if they follow guidelines.
Adult user groups have not made a commitment for ice time this spring, as they are restricted by the provincial public health order. In their absence and with no tournaments this year, recreation manager Graeme Donn told the board that youth groups would have to rent prime ice time for 79 hours per week to provide enough demand to extend the season. The SCSC committed to 18.75 hours per week, while the SCMHA said they would commit to 15 hours per week, but only if the provincial guidelines change to allow games.
In her letter to the board, the president of the SCSC said their club will be financially impacted if the ice time is not extended, since they’ll have to give partial refunds to skaters who registered. Andrea Watson also said the closure will force figure skaters to travel to other communities to keep up their training for provincial and national competitions.
“We will not meet the variable costs this spring but this is not a normal year and the benefits to keeping ice in are immeasurable to our youth who have had the hardest time during this pandemic,” Watson wrote. “Now more than ever, they need a healthy outlet, a safe space, and a responsible adult present – all of which an ice arena and organized sports provide. In a time where youth feel a sense of loss and control over life as they knew it, we are seeing a dramatic increase in self harming, eating disorders, and substance use.”
The SCMHA’s letter also spoke to the efforts put in to continue youth hockey for their 237 registered families during the pandemic.
“This year, with greater reasons, we need to provide programming locally for our youth to reduce the risk travel will bring for our community. We need to provide opportunities for youth to stay and play here on the Sunshine Coast,” the SCMHA letter reads.
As it stands, there is a $52,386.39 deficit based on the current commitments and the incremental costs. Even if the provincial health order changed, there would still be a $40,314.69 deficit, staff said.
Roberts Creek director Andreas Tize said as an adult hockey player, he can sympathize with not being able to play the sport during the pandemic, but that he still can’t justify the expense.
Sechelt director and committee chair Alton Toth added, “At this point, we’re looking at a best case scenario a $40,000 deficit, and that’s a lot of money.”
“We’re still seeing so much uncertainty around this that we don’t know what the future’s going to bring and whether or not it will actually open up a bit or if it’s going to close down some more,” Sechelt director Darnelda Siegers said. “So I think it’s too much of a risk at this point for us to request that staff keep this open, incur the additional costs, in the face of the uncertainty.”
Gibsons director David Croal said he encourages people who want ice time to seek out corporate sponsorship. Sponsors would in turn benefit from the advertisement, he said. “The money’s out there,” Croal said.
The staff report says recreation staff will work with dry floor users to maximize the use of the space, while following public health orders.
