The Estevan City Council met last night to discuss some of the items on their agenda, which included a proposal to drop ice surface fees for one group looking to use Affinity Place this upcoming school year. Sacred Heart School hosts the Hockey Canada Skills Academy yearly, helping younger skaters develop skills.
The school sent out a letter to the City Council, hoping that they would reduce the ice surface fees that the city charges to a rate of $105 an hour. They state that in past years, the cost was $700 per student to attend the academy courses. Due to rising costs associated with ice rental, equipment, and transportation, the school states that they would have to increase the cost to $750 unless they could find a way to drop prices.
Their projected cost for the 2025-26 school year comes out to $40,073 for the program, which they say would normally be supplemented by any surplus revenue from the previous year. Due to "significantly increased costs" in the 2024-25 school year, they were unable to provide any surplus to this year's budget.
Hearing about their predicament, the Estevan city council discussed the matter before Councillor Shelly Veroba made a motion to reject Sacred Heart School's proposal. She explained her position was one of fairness for other ice surface users:
"I don't think at this time I would be too prepared to make a motion that we accept it, only because of the fact that I do caution if we are going to give Sacred Heart this rate, then we also would be looking at other user groups that would come back and also want the same rate, so I think we would maybe just tread lightly before we give too much of a reduced rate there."
The council voted to reject any discount for the ice surface. Councillor Kirsten Walliser did chip in with a suggestion to add to that motion, specifying that there was an alternative to get cheaper ice rates.
"I would like, if it is agreeable to those who made the motion in seconding, that we indicate the use of Power Dodge (Arena), which would offer cost savings to the Hockey Academy in lieu of discounting the rate."
Veroba chimed in that they would not be adjusting the rate of ice surface charges for the Power Dodge Arena, with Councillor Dave Elliot saying that he believes the school hour cost of Power Dodge Arena's ice time comes in at $90 an hour.
The council passed the new motion unanimously.