Brandt ice time issue to be brought up at city council

The dispute over ice time at Regina’s Brandt Centre will be brought to the floor of Regina City Council next week.

Mayor Sandra Masters and Councillor Bob Hawkins will bring a notice of motion about the situation.

Senior men’s hockey at the Brandt Centre and a new private minor hockey program, Young Guns Hockey Academy, are at odds over a deal the latter made with Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (REAL).

REAL agreed to give control over all the ice time not already spoken for by the Regina Pats, to the hockey academy. Senior men’s teams who had been playing at the Brandt Centre for decades are crying foul, worried there won’t be any ice time left for them.

REAL hasn’t answered requests for comment.

The adult players brought their concerns to Masters and Hawkins earlier this week, and the pair put their names on the notice of motion.

READ MORE:

• City approves nearly $9 million to REAL and EDR repay federal wage subsidies
• Council approves new mandate, changes for REAL
• Sask. Gov. investing $1.4 million into hockey and curling rinks

The notice proposes a resolution to keep the ice time allocations for the 2024-25 season the same as they have been, and during the season have REAL undertake “meaningful consultation” with hockey and other user groups before any significant changes are made to allocations.

The resolutions would also direct REAL to consider proposals for any non-profit or community groups for buying, leasing or operating city-owned ice rinks.

In the preamble for the notice, it talks about the details of the dispute. It also explains that there have been proposals put forth by community and not-for-profit groups to operate the Kinsmen and Optimist arenas “as rinks for the benefit of the community”.

The preamble also adds that a solution, agreed upon between senior men’s hockey, the hockey academy and REAL would be preferable and beneficial to both the parties and the community.

READ MORE:

• City approves nearly $9 million to REAL and EDR repay federal wage subsidies
• Council approves new mandate, changes for REAL
• Sask. Gov. investing $1.4 million into hockey and curling rinks