Editor:
Early in July, safe return plans were presented to the SCRD demonstrating several months of dedication to local youth sports. Concerns were voiced about the financial impact of opening recreation facilities; a motion was carried not to install ice at the Sechelt arena until January 2021.
When SCRD board meetings resumed in September, youth ice sports representatives returned to address the financial concerns so Sechelt arena could have ice installed, as usual, later that month. They were told then that the decision to leave ice out was not made for financial reasons.
Youth sports organizations of the Sunshine Coast work extremely hard to provide positive and accessible opportunities for local children and have been very successful even amidst substantial challenges. The global pandemic has made it more difficult but more important than ever.
Society has embraced community recreation for its social, physical and mental health benefit. It was very encouraging to hear that the province will match federal funding that can be applied to municipal operating expenses. User fees are collected from the community to recover costs and the costs recovered by ice user groups is reported by the SCRD as exponentially greater than that of dry floor rentals.
As a taxpayer it does not make any sense to turn away the larger opportunity to recover expenses in a building built for that very purpose. Kids are losing one of two possible venues to adults with several other options. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the children being denied the facility they need today are the future taxpayers who will shoulder the burden extended by turning away a huge source of cost recovery. I urge the SCRD board to reverse their inequitable decision and show the youth that they too are valued in our community and create a place that they will one day be proud to become taxpayers in.
Kate Turner, Sechelt
