Councillor Adam Veri brought forward a notice of motion that could impact some local hockey teams in the future.
The new Ontario Minor Hockey Association open borders policy is now in place, which means that there could be an influx of players from other municipalities joining Norfolk County’s rep teams.
Veri’s concern is that a team that may have a Norfolk logo on the jersey may have a majority of players who are not from the county – but still using our local arenas.
He feels that it isn’t right for tax payers to help pay for ice time for kids from outside of Norfolk to practice, while local hockey players may be left stranded without a team.
With that Veri is pitching the idea of different ice rental fees based on the player make up of a team.
Ultimately, Veri said it’s up to the coaching staff to pick the players, but he feels if it isn’t benefiting residents of Norfolk, then it should be reflected in the price.
He is asking staff to watch this upcoming season, and see what the teams look like, and if there is an issue of Norfolk players being displaced then bring back a report looking at charging different ice rental fees.
This topic will be debated at a future council meeting.