No shinny on new outdoor ice rink, says council

By Craig Westcott/March 10, 2023

CBS councillor Gerard Tilley said the Town has been getting a big favourable response to the outdoor ice rink that has opened in the new accessible community playground behind Dominion Supermarket in Long Pond.

The positive reception may almost be too good though, judging by the concerns raised by a couple of other councillors.

“The community park is going full swing,” Tilley noted at Tuesday’s council meeting. “I’ve received countless e-mails, phone calls, texts from residents that are so happy with the final product that we have down there. It’s great to see so many people out enjoying the inclusive park, so kudos to everyone for making it happen.”

Later in the meeting, however, Ward 1 councillor Shelley Moores, who chairs council’s recreation committee, raised a concern about one activity taking place on the ice – namely the playing of Canada’s national game, hockey.

“I know it may be very tempting to play hockey and sports like that on the rink that we have,” Moores said. “But I just want to remind all residents that it’s meant for skating only, and mainly this is due to the safety of everyone who wants to use it and make it a safe place for people to skate. So, I really encourage and ask all residents to follow the rules and please refrain from playing hockey, as tempting as it may be. There’s other places that that can be done, and the ice surface is not for that.”

Councillor-at-large Josh Barrett added a similar comment. “I was there last week trying to teach my three-year-old daughter how to skate,” he said. “And that’s really exciting for us, but also being mindful of the multi-use demographics and the audience of the ice surface, really there has been a lot of increased activity on the ice surface with respect to hockey. So, I just want to support your stance on that councillor Moores, because I think it’s an important reminder for us all.”