Dear Mayor and Squamish Council, I am writing to inform you of a significant deficiency that I have observed in our wonderful community. Today I had a rare day off and went to the drop-in hockey session at noon at Brennan Park, entering through the back door and following the protocol we all need to adhere to while Brennan Park undergoes another renovation, which has somehow not been completed during the summer and which, the rumour goes, will last until at least December.
Didn’t this happen a couple of years ago when the bleachers were deemed unsafe? We all huddled in the foyer to watch hockey. Visiting parents repeatedly asked us why we can’t use the bleachers. How will we inform these visitors that they must use the washrooms located outside the arena? Don’t worry that you can’t see through the glass; the kids are probably having a good time on the other side of the opaque misted glass above the boards.
After playing hockey today, I left the arena and was notified that my son’s first hockey practice tonight has been cancelled due to an ice safety concern. Other teams that we play against have already been playing for more than two weeks. Here in Squamish, house players haven’t even been assessed yet, nor have teams even been made.
I personally play men’s league hockey every week in West Vancouver because there are better ice times there. My wife hates that I drive down to the city every Friday night to play hockey, taking an unnecessary risk by driving home after dark on an increasingly busy highway. Working as a family doctor in Squamish for the past 15 years has given me a perspective of just how deep the problem of only one ice surface runs.
I have multiple patients who have driven as far as Delta for their children to play competitive hockey, because Squamish only has one sheet of ice and therefore not enough ice to go around. They drive down to the city most days of the week, coming back after dark. This is not in any child’s best interest.
I have many men as patients, who have families who play hockey, who would love to continue playing into their forties, fifties and beyond. However, the only time offered for adults to play is either during work hours or so late at night that work the next day is affected. In my practice, I often have to redirect men and women who have “taken a break” from healthy habits to raise families. I attempt to motivate them to make healthy lifestyle changes and become more active.
Many of these patients have played hockey in the past, however this is not something they can return to, at least not in Squamish. Girls get some ice time for an introduction to the sport, but if they want to play on a girls team, they have to head to Whistler or West Van multiple times per week. We don’t have ice time here for girls.
Boys can play hockey here, but don’t expect to win. When every single other team you play against has more ice time and better practice times, it’s hard to compete. And once you age out of minor hockey, forget it. If you’re working in town here, you won’t be able to make the daytime or late night ice slots. Drive to West Vancouver or Whistler to play. A few weeks ago an incident occurred after which I decided I could no longer stay silent.
My wife listed some street hockey nets online which we no longer needed. A woman came to pick them up. She wanted them for her two grandchildren, who play ball hockey outside, as they have been on a waitlist to play ice hockey in Squamish for the past two seasons, and would likely not be allowed to play again this year.
I repeat this: These children are not allowed to play ice hockey in Squamish. They play ball hockey instead, because an ice surface isn’t needed. This cannot be allowed to pass. Having coached hockey here for many of my son’s teams, I understand the Squamish Minor Hockey policy to limit new players. We keep dividing the ice up into smaller and smaller packets of time, often sharing the ice surface for two teams at a time. There just isn’t enough ice, and it can’t be divided any further. Hockey is Canada’s sport. Every child in this country should be allowed to play hockey. I can’t think of any other place in the entire country which says “no” to kids who want to play recreational ice hockey. Nowhere except Squamish.
I feel strongly that the only way forward is to break ground on not one but two new ice sheets. We have somewhere north of thirty thousand people here now. A second ice sheet was needed years ago. We need a second and third now. We need to build them now, and elected officials need to figure out how to pay for them. I know this council wasn’t elected when this problem started, but you’re the council here now, and we need you to fix this problem today, not wait for the next council to sort it out. I am proud to live and work in Squamish, except when it comes to hockey.
I am not proud of Brennan Park being under construction during the hockey season yet again, nor the lack of opportunities for men and women of all ages to continue playing the sport they love. I am not proud of the lack of inclusiveness, by Squamish not providing enough ice to field girls youth hockey teams. Actually, I’m a bit embarrassed when parents travel from elsewhere to watch their children play hockey, and we don’t offer them the same hospitality their communities offer us; a functional arena with reasonable ice times. Please know that the lack of access to skating ice is on many Squamish resident’s minds these days. Clear communication and bold steps to address a second and third ice sheet are desperately needed from you, our elected Squamish mayor and council.
Tom Kranz is a local Squamish doctor and a die-hard hockey fan.
