LaSalle rejects ask to reduce ice fees for OFSAA tournament

A Lasalle hockey tournament's bid to reduce ice fees has fallen flat after council rejected their proposal to only be billed for the hours the surface is in use

The Town of LaSalle has rejected a high school hockey tournament’s request to reduce ice fees for play at the Vollmer complex.

The convenor of the upcoming OFSAA provincial tournament scheduled for March approached council Tuesday night to ask they be billed for seven fewer hours, rather than the expected 36 hours.

Nick Swiatoschik told council that OFSAA requires them to book two-hour time slots, when in reality, the ice is only needed for about 90 minutes per game.

“So the ice is essentially going to be sitting there, and I have kind of formally requested perhaps that that discount be for the ice that’s not used,” Swiatoschik said.

Staff estimated that the change for the three-day tournament in March would cost about $1,190.

Swiatoschik noted other municipalities have made similar exceptions in exchange for using their logo and messaging in the program and on social media.

“I think [that] would be a good sign of support on behalf of, like, the local community towards the school and towards the tournament,” he said.

However, as recommended by staff, the council unanimously rejected the request out of concern that it would set a bad precedent.

Some programming has already been cancelled to facilitate the tournament’s schedule.

Crystal Meloche, LaSalle’s mayor, referred to a council policy that establishes waiving or reducing fees is not standard practice.

“When we talk about rentable spaces, there’s a lot of great groups in the community, a lot of charity groups, but we just can’t offer that discount,” Meloche said.

While they’re appreciative of the opportunity to host the events, Meloche added they must remain consistent with the measures they’ve created.