Parents Decry Toronto Ice Fees

Why are ice pads in Toronto so costly when suburban facilities are better equipped?

               BY: Sean Sillers

Cathy and Gary Molinnas stood chatting in the chilly confines of Scarborough Gardens arena, surrounded by the vapour from their breath, watching their 14 year-old son circle the ice prior to his AA contest. As members of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), both their sons play in various locations around the GTA. The Molinnas represent typical hockey parents in Toronto who wonder where all the money collected at the arena’s gates goes.
“That’s the big point with most parents, the gate fees,” Gary said. “It’s six dollars per rink, when I go to see my other son at a different rink on the same day, I have to pay again.”

Molinnas and his wife question the motive of collecting duplicate fees simply because their two sons play at separate arenas.

“Profit is being earned on that money; they should lower the gate fees.” Molinnas said. “With all the costs included, it must shut out many families whose kids want to play.”

COSTLY ICE: An architect's portrayal of the four pad arena proposed for the city's Portlands district. The cost is estimated at $88 million. (Image by RDM Architect Inc.) 

 Following city amalgamation in 1998, the former Metro Toronto Hockey League became annexed by the larger GTHL, which oversees competitive minor hockey in the GTA. Many of the arenas in the City of Toronto fail to meet the standards of their suburban counterparts, according to GTHL president John Gardner.

“Given its cost, the lack of facilities is disgusting,” Gardner said.  “If (your arena) gets the Toronto tag, it’s bad.”

Gardner bemoans the cost of indoor ice rental costs in the City, which range from $102 to $284 in prime time per hour, depending on facility quality and group rental classification, which favours children and youth community and competitive programs. Ice time in many other cities are highly subsidized, resulting in much lower costs, such as an average of $32 per hour in Montreal.

“The city breaks down use by per cent per category group,” Mark Lawson, the city’s manager of customer service for parks, forestry and recreation, said. “Sixty per cent of all prime time use goes to children and youth.”

The city’s 40 indoor rinks range in age, quality and upkeep; with the arenas in the city’s core representing what Gardner calls the worst-off.

Pat Hutton, a cashier at the City’s indoor arenas for 22 years, explains the varying state of the facilities.

“Some of the arenas, like Victoria Village (at Bermundsey Road and Eglington Avenue E.), are well kept, while things like the bathrooms at Scarborough Gardens (at Birchmount and Kingston Roads), are disgusting,” she said. “I think they all need work, they’ve all been let go, they used to keep them up better in the MTHL days.”

AT PLAY: Fourteen and 15-year olds battle on the ice during an AA level contest at Scarborough Gardens Arena. (Photo by Sean Sillers)

 The city’s dilemma between the increasing cost of keeping up older arenas and choosing to replace them with up to date, less expensive to maintain facilities remains given the city’s current budget problems. Gardner hopes new leadership at city hall will bring a new focus on funding arenas.    

“In the city, there’s a definite need for more ice,” he said. “Given the new mayor coaches high-school football, there may be more sympathy for our cause.”

Gardner does note one exception in the North York district of the city. Formerly the North York Centennial Centre, the arena was renamed The Herbert H Carnegie Centennial Centre in 2001to honour the black hockey pioneer. Yet this arena was built in 1966, and represents one of the better facilities within the city’s boundaries.

“The Carnegie centre is nice, it used to host OHL games,” he said, noting the problem lies mainly with funding. “If the league had corporate sponsors, we’d build them (new arenas) to meet demand.”

Following the building of the nearby Markham Centennial Centre in 1974, the Carnegie Centre lost its luster and much of its popularity as leagues fled to the newer, more modern facility outside of Toronto. This has been the case for many Toronto arenas as their age and lack of upkeep has led to an exodus to the suburban facilities.

Gary Mollinas recalls a recent trip to an Ontario Minor Hockey Association tournament in Hamilton where the gate fees are lower and he wasn’t charged for multiple games.

“In Hamilton, the heaters were all turned on yet they’re never on here (in Scarborough),” he said. “Here, I have to go outside to get warm.”