THUNDER BAY — A controversial proposal to close nearly 80 per cent of the city’s outdoor skating rinks has been taken off the table, though more limited closures remain on the horizon.
Results from a city survey suggested strong public opposition to the proposal, floated by city staff as one way to achieve city council’s cost-cutting targets.
The city received an impressive 4,763 responses to the survey, which was open to the public between Aug. 18 and 27.
Of that total, 93 per cent were not in favour of the proposed rink reductions, with just seven per cent in favour, the city reported.
Many respondents opposed to the idea suggested a compromise that closed fewer rinks would be acceptable.
At a Monday meeting, some councillors shared concerns from constituents that people may have been able to submit multiple responses to the survey, since it was not limited to those with an account through the city’s Get Involved system.
Parks manager Cory Halvorsen acknowledged the issue, but said he was confident a review had eliminated potential repeat submissions.
The city has already notified residents living near 11 outdoor rinks that the sites are on a watchlist to be closed or downgraded, based on decreasing usage.
A review found many ponds were being used by less than one person per hour, on average.
A city policy sets out average usage standards of one person per hour for ponds, three people per hour for boarded rinks, five people per hour for community-supervised rinks, and 10 people per hour for city-supervised rinks.
The majority of the city’s 39 outdoor rinks are not hitting those minimum usage targets, Halvorsen told council.
The proposal to close 31 of 39 outdoor rinks — put forward by administration as council searched for millions in service cuts — would save the city an estimated $365,000 per year.
Most councillors said that recommendation went too far, but several agreed some closures were in order.
Coun. Brian Hamilton noted a 2018 program and services review had recommended closing eight rinks.
“I’d like to keep all of the rinks and have rinks in every corner of the community, but underutilized rinks, and not having the right size of facility, is an issue for me,” he said.
Mayor Ken Boshcoff said there was little point maintaining underused amenities, adding climate change was already shortening the ice season considerably.
“The harsh reality is that global warming is making a lot of the decisions for us. If we can’t get ice until late December and it starts melting in early February, we really have to start thinking about what we’re doing here.”
Coun. Kasey Etreni agreed, floating an idea to identify 17 rinks for closure, but ultimately withdrew the proposal, agreeing to bring it back later in September, giving council more notice before debating the idea.
“Although I’d prefer not to close any rinks, we need to tighten our belts in all areas to look at how we can provide services differently,” she said, adding the move is about “keeping our taxes as low as we can for all our taxpayers.”
“Outdoor and indoor rinks are just two of those areas, so I don’t want people emailing me saying, ‘You’re taking on rinks’ — we’re going to be looking at everything.”
She expressed hope closing rinks would allow parks staff more time to improve quality at remaining sites, drawing agreement from Halvorsen.
Etreni added she’d like to see the time frame to close low-usage rinks shortened, saying it could sometimes take up to seven years.
The rinks Etreni suggested for closure based on usage included: Woodside Parkette, Anten Parkette, Picton Parkette, John Kusznier Park, Third and High, Wilson Park, Green Acres Park, Thornloe Parkette, Friendship Gardens, Franklin Park, Confederation Drive, Holt Parkette, Castlegreen, Parkdale Park, Minnesota Park, and North Neebing Park.
