WHAT….?

It’s too warm for ice in PG now?

After spending all my hard earned money moving to the “apparently warmer” Okanagan I do NOT wanna hear that PG is finally warming up…

So with 2015 Winter Games coming isn’t the ice oval suppose to play a important part of that event – oh what o what are they to do – spend more money – why not put a refrigeration unit in – We could extent the season to the end of June and match the NHL hockey season :)

The oval badly needs a refrigeration unit or whatever it takes to keep it frozen. It is such a treasure to have in the community.

I believe they will be putting in a temporary refrigeration unit. That is what they did in Halifax. About $1million, I believe. There are suppliers back east.

http://www.halifax.ca/skateHRM/About/index.html

As you can see, the oval has become a “permanent” feature …. so, expect the same pressure here ….. ;-)

http://www.halifax.ca/CanadaGamesOval/documents/chronicleHerald300311.pdf

If it is not one thing, then it is another thing.

A $5million plus treasure plus $400,000 operating cost per year according to Halifax expereince.

It is a treasure alright …… NOT at that price!!!!!

Notice the wording in Halifax about private/corporate money offsetting some of the costs. Seems we always hear that phrase when someone wants to spend a lot of money but they never name just exactly which company/private source the money is coming from. And, with the ending of the HST which has been pointed out as a big gift to corporations, it’s unlikely they will be as generous now that their cost of operations has increased with the return of the PST. They should just be honest and say they want it, and the taxpayer will pay for it. BTW Gus, love how you dig this stuff out.

I sure hope the NDP will rid us of that carbon tax. Obviously it is not slowing climate change or global warming (pick one). If not double it for a few years and see if it gets colder and stays colder.

Maybe the ice oval could just sell some more gravel… ;)

The volunteer labour that goes into the oval should not be devalued and is in fact, appreciated.

However! An outdoor ice oval for the – let’s be honest people – benefit of a HANDFUL of people that wear long skates, well, they can just get their buts out and find it/search for it/steal it/attract it – whatever.

IF it is for families to skate, kids and participation and all that fuzzy stuff (which it’s not – it is for that HANDFUL of speed skaters, at our expense):

I would much rather see our tax dollars go back to keeping the neighbourhood rinks cleared and maintained, to attract the kids and families and the later night neighbourhood kids’ hockey games – you know, those activities that have served to build our northern image (and kids, character and neighbourhoods, I argue). No one had to gas up the car and drive downtown and I will bet it would be a fraction of the cost of refrigerating this behemoth.

Just for the record, the majority of the many hundreds of users at the ice oval do NOT have long blades. They are just regular skaters who love skating and do not wish to dodge hockey pucks and sticks. The long bladers are in the minority, however, it’s mostly them that volunteer to make this great asset to our city a reality. Why would anyone criticize or try to demotivate awesome volunteers? I don’t get it.

The ice oval is hidden away. Why not utilize the Fort George Park road along the river and freeze that for public skating. Scenic beauty of the river and park at hand, services close by… could develop into a sort of Ottawa canal type place for the community.