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To all RMHC Members:
As you may know, the issue of lack of ice time in Riverview is quickly escalating. As it stands today, we are virtually at peak capacity and with the expected growth in our town, this could affect our hockey programs significantly in the next few years.
With the upcoming municipal elections, the RMHC Board decided it would be nice to give each candidate for mayor an opportunity to comment on this issue and share it with our members.
The following is the letter we sent out to each candidate:
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To: Candidates for Mayor in Riverview
From: Membership of Riverview Minor Hockey Club
Regarding: Third Ice Surface in Riverview
The Members of the Riverview Minor Hockey Club have been working over the past 7 years to see the addition of a third ice surface in the Town of Riverview.
With 580 players registered this past year, Riverview Minor Hockey Club now finds itself at the maximum number of members that it can accommodate with the current ice surfaces in the Town.
With the expected growth in the Community during the next several years, RMHC is faced with the possibility that it will have to limit the number of players that it can accept, and may be forced to turn away players due to the shortage of prime ice times.
The Club has been active in raising funds designated specifically to a third ice surface over the past 7 years through its annual Golf Tournament, and it has raised $100,000 that it now holds in a Registered account.
It is our desire at this time to gage the support of such a project with all candidates for Mayor and inform our membership via our website.
With this in mind, we ask that you provide your thoughts on the idea of a third ice surface in Riverview. Do you support it? If elected, will you work toward finding ways to fund such a project? Do you have any initial ideas?
We will be posting them on our website this Wednesday, April 25th – one day in advance of our Annual General Meeting.
Thank you on behalf of the Membership of Riverview Minor Hockey Club.
Respectfully,
Tim Barter
President - Riverview Minor Hockey Club
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Here are the responses:
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Ann Seamans
Hi Tim..
First of all I want to congratulate your group on raising 100,000.00 towards the 3rd ice surface, as you know many things have changed in the last few years in Riverview.
With the new school coming and the land that will be opened up off of Gunningsville Blvd. Riverview is going to see great growth in the coming years.
We have a new municipal plan that has just been approved by council and this has set a road map for our town for the next 25 years.
We also have a new Director Of Parks and Rec, he has great experience with working with groups of citizens to make projects happen. I would be 100% behind working together to make wellness center/3rd ice surface happen.
Regards,
Ann Seamans
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Don Lenehan
To: Tim Barter, President- Riverview Minor Hockey Club
From: Don Lenehan, Deputy Mayor, Councillor at Large, Town of Riverview,
Thank you for your email re: Third Ice Surface in Riverview.
Let me start by congratulating the Riverview Minor Hockey Club (RHC) on your initiative in raising $100,000 over the past 7 years to help fund a third ice surface.
In answer to your question: Do you support it - it being a third ice surface- the answer is yes. This needs to be part of a wellness centre - please note that a wellness centre could be built in phases - ice surface first phase, etc.
The answer re: finding ways to fund this project is yes.
Please note:
- That on April 21st, 2008 (prior to the May 2008 election), I met with Rob Boyd. He presented a very strong case for a third ice surface, etc.
- Aug 25, 2008 - Rob Boyd made a presentation to Council on behalf of the Riverview Arena Users Group (RAUG). A very strong argument was made.
- Sept 17, 2008 - I met with Rob Boyd and at that time I proposed a fundraising idea (that could have raised a very substantial amount of money).
- Oct 13, 2008 - Rob Boyd and I met with Serge Doucette to get further input.
- Since that time, be it by conversation with Rob or others, I have always offered my personal support to this project and a willingness to help with major funding.
This project can and must be funded with a combination of private, Town, Provincial and Federal dollars.
I would welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss a third ice surface/wellness centre in person, with yourself, your Board or better yet an open meeting with all concerned parties.
I do think that the support of all users of the ice surfaces and other groups that use the arenas i.e. lacrosse, baseball, etc. would add weight to this project.
Public engagement is the key to moving forward.
Thank you,
Don
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Mark Crandall
Good afternoon Tim,
Yes Tim, in response to your third ice surface in Riverview the answer, can only be YES.
Over the past year (or two), Town Council has crunched the numbers and decided that it was not feasible to have a new arena built in Riverview. In a newspaper article on April 17th, my counterparts said that analysis has been done and that numbers don’t support a new arena in Riverview. I say they are not looking at the big picture.
Perhaps just an arena is not justified, but a facility with a hockey rink, conference centre, playground or boys and girls club, seniors activity centre or something very similar to the Qplex in Quispamsis or Bouctouche and Lewisville’s facilities might just be the answer.
We can’t just look at the number of minor hockey participants in Riverview. I know for a fact that there are several gentleman’s hockey teams in the Greater Moncton Area that would gladly drive to Riverview to play hockey if it meant not having to play at 11:00 at night. Ringuette, CanSkate and High School hockey can also be included in available ice time hours (or lack thereof).
Can you imagine the fundraising possibilities of having ice time to run hockey camps and/or tournaments?
My apologies for the length of the email as I am very passionate about this initiative. I envision a place where Seniors can visit and walk the top of the rink area on a padded rubber trail (like the QPlex) – a place that houses a complete pro-active Wellness Centre with access to exercise facilities, physio, chiro and massage therapy services. Access to a dietician and a place to provide them with direction with regards to Senior Drug Program assistance and Ext. Health Benefits guidance.
The walking centre is a fantastic place for seniors and/or anyone to get out and participate in physical activity and I know we are in desperate need of a new Boys and Girls club for our youth.
As you are aware, there are very few places in Riverview to hold a wedding reception or charitable dinner event. Some will argue, use the Moncton Golf Course (very outdated) or Royal Court (very wealthy), but there is actually no place in Riverview to hold a press conference of any kind or nice event. Our Kinsmen, Lions and Coverdale Rec. Centres all do marvelous work but realistically, they’re not the venue for any of the afore mentioned events.
I realize funding is an issue and I commend you on the money raised to date. I am going to challenge you further, but will also help you in the process.
We are going to empower the Riverview Minor Hockey Club to continue to raise money along with the citizens of Riverview. My track record for bringing in sponsorship money for the Molson Mustangs and the Maritime Football League speaks for itself. If local business is engaged, they will respond.
I already have a Wellness facility that would move in tomorrow. I have already contacted several companies that would be more than happy to entertain coming into such a facility, thus lowering the monthly operating costs moving forward.
We will raise more money further proving our case, and then asking government agencies for financial aid becomes much easier. This is do-able if we look at something more than just an arena.
I’m not mayor and I know the 25 year plan for Riverview has just been put into action. If we follow in the footsteps we have over the past 8 years, that plan of action will never come to fruition.
No more, meetings to have more meetings. We need to be able to look at things from a few different angles and come up with solutions instead of dead ends.
Mark Crandall,
Mayoral Candidate Riverview 2012
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2012MarchBreakResults.pdf
The most common cause of serious spinal injuries in hockey is when a player is checked, pushed or bumped from behind, and goes head first into the boards. Such injuries have left some victims paralysed for life. As a coach or parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your players develop the proper attitudes and skills to protect themselves and opponents from dangerous hits from behind. Education must begin at the start of the season.
