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Sure feels like a battle

Editor: Re: “A balance not a battle” by Lori Pratt, Letters, April 23.

Editor:

Re: “A balance not a battle” by Lori Pratt, Letters, April 23.

The frustration that our highly valued and respected board member felt when she penned her letter to the editor on April 16 (“Ice demand is there” by Kate Turner) is due to inaccurate information such as the quote from Ms. Pratt’s most recent letter: “In spring 2021, the demand is simply not there to be able to pay to keep the facility open with ice.”

Facts:

1. The demand is there – there are a large number of youth missing school travelling for ice right now.

2. Our organization can pay its ice bill and always has been able to.

3. What our non-profit youth organization cannot pay are the inflated and hidden $7,500 a week “variable costs.” These costs are the reason why our youth have no access to train in their community.

4. Yes, I said hidden. If you read the 2019 report, you will see the costs are NOT broken down. It will be up to our organization to apply under an FOI to receive the breakdown we continue to request, just as we had to apply under an FOI to get a breakdown of revenue. Please read the Coast Reporter article from Oct 23, 2020 (“Gibsons offers to dip into trust fund to help reopen pool”) on how the Town of Gibsons council expressed their frustration when attempting to find out operating  costs of a facility and the short-sightedness of the SCRD in keeping facilities closed.

5. Instead of telling hard-working volunteers “it’s not a battle,” try asking them why it feels like a battle and see what respectful communication comes from that.

Andrea Watson, President Sunshine Coast Skating Club