Attached below is the official statement from the Restigouche North Minor Hockey Association regarding the latest development concerning the leisure cards and the use of the Memorial Civic Centre in Campbellton.
Official PDF Document
Full Press Release
The city of Campbellton has released a statement to public recently that they are locking out minor hockey due to non co-operation of information they seek of our clienteles’ personal information, their names, addresses etc. Our constitution clearly states in section 16.6 D that “the registrar will keep the Hockey Canada Registry of the association private”, as well as under Hockey Canada’s privacy policy and Hockey New Brunswick. Therefore this information will not be given out to anyone including the City of Campbellton’s council.
A meeting in late August with members of the city’s council as well as with executive members of the association was held to discuss alternatives in compromising. The executives of minor hockey clearly stated that we will not be implementing nor governing the city’s decision to impose leisure cards upon the public, it is the city’s discretion to organize the plan in motion imposed. In the meeting we discussed other avenues such as raising our ice rate to non subsidized rate without rising registration fees to avoid our clientele having to purchase these leisure cards as some clubs using the facility are exempted from the leisure cards imposed. We are nonprofit organizations who have roughly 260 players from our amalgamated area, which means we rent services for players using ice surfaces in Campbellton as well as in Dalhousie.
We also discussed the possibility of purchasing leisure cards for residents of non exempted area to offset the cost for our clientele seeing as this was imposed on us at the very early start of our season, BOTH of which were declined by city council. We were and are very clear on where we stand with the demands for clienteles’ information.
The city now asks for co-operation in obtaining clienteles’ information of leisure cards as well as names of our registered players in accordance in order to obtain permission of facility usage. Again we remind, that we stand firm and will not be governing the fact, nor will we be releasing clientele information. In a prior written public release the city has stated that our two major tournaments would be exempted from the leisure cards, meaning no verification of cards would be implemented during such time. We were informed a security team would be enforcing and verifying the leisure cards of anyone entering and using the facility at all times.
The city has now issued a statement right before we are to organize with scheduling that “effective immediately, all ice is open to the public on a first come first served basis. This also includes pre-scheduled tournaments for which the leisure card exemption was conditional to minor hockey sports associations complying to the new system being put in place. That dates for tournaments are now open for other groups to use” The city imposing a leisure fee/card should solely be monitored by paid government council members and not for members of a non-profit organization to monitor. Their system is proving to be mal organized especially in seeking monitoring from our association.
Having gone back on their word of exempted tournaments this is forcing us to having to cancel the local Bantam/Midget Arnold Maisey tournament that brings 24–26 teams from all over the province as well as teams from the neighbouring province of Quebec. It has been a long running reputable tournament going into its 47th year. As well as the Initiation/Novice Jamboree this again houses 26–29 teams. All of which brings revenue and business into the city, which will subsequently suffer the consequences of these loses, that is hotels, restaurants, local shops of all kinds.
In the end the Restigouche north minor hockey will continue to stand firm and respect our rules and regulation imposed as well as imposed by Hockey Canada and Hockey New Brunswick and will have to regretfully advise the community and surrounding that the association will not be using the regional memorial civic center this year, we are aware of the implications this will have on many people and we are more than ready and willing to cooperate with our clientele and fully reimburse any clientele that need be.
Sincerely,
Restigouche North Minor Hockey Association
