mark6mauno / CC
Non-resident user fees for ice arenas will be imposed in Saint John this year, after a lengthy council Monday night.
In the absence of regional consensus, city staff began exploring “Plan B” options to implement the non-resident fees back in May.
Councillors say they had no choice but to move forward with the decision tonight, after months of delayed action.
The fees will be phased in slowly, starting at $200+HST for the 2019/2020 season, and $350+HST in 2020/2021. Recreation cards will also be issued to those using rinks. Saint John residents can get them for free, while non-users will have to pay.
Councillor John MacKenzie was one of three who voted against the fees. He says that there are other options for rinks in the area, and non-residents will just go elsewhere.
“I think that Plan B will end up being a disaster. When all of your rinks are owned by one municipality, you can’t fail, but if there’s options outside your municipality, you can fail,” he said, referencing two other cities who implemented similar fee models: Fredericton and Campbellton.
The City of Fredericton implemented non-resident user fees in 2012, and have seen great successes since, partly because the city owned all the arenas, explained MacKenzie.
When Campbellton tried the same thing, he says they saw a huge decrease in its arena users.
MacKenzie says he would’ve liked more time to reach a regional decision, but was out-voted. Deputy Mayor Shirley MacAlary and Councillor Blake Armstrong also voted against the motion.
Councillor David Hickey says he’s disappointed a regional consensus on an ice rink strategy couldn’t be reached.
“I mean, we’re at the end of the road on this one and if we can’t come together as small as rinks, I think we’ve got a long road ahead of us in terms of regional cooperation,” he said.
Councillor Donna Reardon says she wants the arenas to be shared by all, but the costs to Saint John were just too high for little return.
“I want people coming into Saint John, but at the end of the day, how can we afford to maintain facilities that at the end of the day may not need, so I guess it’s trying to balance that,” she said.
The cost to implement the fees and the Recreation Card Program is currently unknown, but city staff are estimating $70,000.
The strategy will come back to council next month with more details, such as hourly ice rates.
Council says they will remain receptive to a regional collaborative solution on rink sharing should it be put forward by any of the other municipalities.
