User opposes new allocation policies

An ice time and sports field allocation policy recently adopted by Clearview Township is not in the best interests of sports facility users now and in the future, according to resident Gord Zeggil.

Zeggil appeared before council on May 11 to challenge the policy adopted in January.

“One thing I have observed over many council meetings is that staff often compare our policies to those of other municipalities of similar size. Only Clearview and Wasaga Beach have chosen to prioritize youth sports organizations over local adult groups with historical useage,” he said. “Collingwood and Barrie require 80 per cent of participants to be residents to qualify for local status, and say residents will always receive preference over non- residents. In the case of Collingwood, non-residents are charged a premium on rentals. Owen Sound provides grandfathered status for established user groups. If this comparison had been examined prior to adoption of this policy in January, the decision might have been different.”

Township staff have assured adult user groups that the new policy is founded on the principles of fair and equitable treatment and transparency. Zeggil cited the case of the Lowe group, which lost the Thursday night ice time slot they had been using for 50 years in favour of Collingwood Girls’ Hockey.

CAO John Ferguson said the 6 p.m. slot is peak time for youth sports and that there are other options available to a men’s pick-up league. Zeggil said other user groups worry that they cannot rely on assurances that adult groups will be dealt with fairly.

Ferguson says township staff are committed to working with adult user groups, and noted that the Lowe group had been offered a Saturday afternoon time slot. Prior to adoption of the new policy, he noted that Clearview Minor Hockey had 45.5 hours of ice time per week while the girls’ hockey program had only five hours. They have subsequently negotiated a half hour from minor hockey and some time from the figure skating club to bring girls’ hockey up to seven hours per week.

Councillor Robert McArthur says in a way, the increased demands on recreational facilities are a good thing.

“Not that many years ago we were kind of thinking how were we going to keep these arenas open due to lack of useage,” he said. “Clearview is in the middle of a growth spurt right now, so maybe it’s time to start the conversation about fundraising to build new arenas.”

Council adopted an amendment to the January policy defining non-municipal regional minor sport groups as those groups with a minimum of 20 per cent of registrants residing in Clearview Township, down from 40 per cent.

Director of parks and recreation Terry Vachon highlighted wording in the revised policy stressing that the township is not seeking to remove or displace users who continue to enjoy their allocated sporting time. The intent of the existing policy is to communicate that no organization is grandfathered indefinitely.

In commenting on Zeggil’s presentation Measures said, “Gord has kicked up a bit of a hornet’s nest which is going to cause us a whole lot of grief down the road.”

In a letter in defence of the new policy, Ivy Leishman of Collingwood Lightening Girls Hockey said, “This is about equitable access to youth sports programming and ensuring young athletes have opportunities to play and develop in their home communities.”