Reporter’s Notebook: Arena Discussions Continue; STA Licence Revoked

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By John Francis, Bruce Peninsula Press

A Bird in the Hand

A very important item was on the Agenda of Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula (MNBP) Council’s September 9 and September 23 meetings: the future of the arena facility in Lion’s Head.

MNBP has a federal/provincial grant in hand that will pay $3.4 million towards the cost of renovating the existing arena to include upgraded dressing rooms and entranceway, a library, a community use space for athletics, meetings, etc and a replacement for the Friendship Club building (approximately $16 million total).

This proposal makes everyone nervous, because a building of that size might cause drainage and other problems, which could lead to further expenses or even long-term problems. There are other sites available nearby which offer much better drainage.

It seems likely that the granting organizations would agree to a scope change with the $3.4 million grant, allowing MNBP to switch back to the original grant proposal, which involved only the accessible dressing rooms and improved entranceway (approximately $7 million total). A renovation of this size would be unlikely to trigger drainage problems.

A tantalizing alternative exists — a program that might, if our application were to be accepted, offer 50% subsidy towards a new facility on a new site, up to a $10 million cap (that is, $10 million in grants on a $20 million build).

But a new facility that provided all the functions MNBP wants (including a new arena) would cost more like $31 million.

There is also a third possibility: a new facility on a new site that included everything but the arena — that is, library, community use space, Friendship Club space — might cost around $20 million and qualify for a $10 million grant.

It was also noted that acceptance by this program was far from guaranteed, whereas the $3.4 million is a bird in the hand.

For context: MNBP’s annual budget is around $8 million, so even the smallest of these undertakings would require a major re-think of the budget and the tax rates.

The existing arena is showing its age — the dressing rooms and community centre were built in 1976; the rink building dates to 1984.

Councillor Smokey Golden stated that “What I am hearing in the community is that the arena is still in pretty good shape and the alternatives are too expensive for us right now.” She pointed out that the municipality may find itself saddled with other very large problems in the future. She proposed that we spend the grants we’ve been given to upgrade the arena itself. She expressed hope that this “would see us through at least a decade without doing too much more.”

Councillor Todd Dowd expressed a different opinion. He suggested that the municipality explore other funding sources to see if there might be more money available for the $31 million option. There is nothing to lose in trying before we spend more money on an old facility.

Councillor Aman Sohrab liked that idea and wondered when the existing grant would expire (2028).

Mayor Milt McIver pointed out that a Closed Session at the end of the day’s Meeting would be addressing the potential purchase of a new site for the Lion’s Head community centre complex.

He wanted to learn about potential new sites before making a decision about buildings. He suggested that there might be ways to design and build facilities for less money than they had been discussing. He agreed with Councillor Dowd’s perspective — it’s getting to the point that makes him question putting more money into it. He would like to have more options on the table before deciding.

Deputy Mayor Rod Anderson suggested taking the long view. Lay the groundwork for the long term — a new arena and community centre, but keep the existing building going with a minimum of investment — “the wheels aren’t going to fall off in four years”. He suggested getting a new piece of land and taking a piece by piece approach.

Councillor Sohrab pointed out that the municipality has other pressing concerns; he did not believe we can afford all of these things in the short term.

Mayor McIver suggested that Council defer making a decision until after the Closed Session discussing potential property acquisitions.

STA Licence Revoked

A Licencing Appeal Committee Meeting on September 9 (the Licencing Appeal Committee is MNBP Council) rejected an appeal by the owner of 109 Spry Shore Road and revoked the STA Licence for a period of one year, beginning September 9, 2024.

The revocation was triggered by “continued non-compliance with applicable Municipal By-laws”.

The neighbours of 109 Spry Shore Road have been complaining about the property for well over a year, citing constant noise, frequent loud parties and many other problems. (Many of their letters can be found in 2023 and 2024 Council Agendas under “Correspondence”. The September 23/2024 Agenda includes two such letters.)

An ongoing theme in these complaints has been that Class C STAs that accommodate more than a single family (such as 109 Spry Shore Road, which was licenced for 12 adults) need much heavier supervision and enforcement.

Deputy Mayor Anderson wondered what would happen if an STA continued to operate after its licence had been revoked.

CAO Peggy Van Mierlo-West explained that a property owner can be fined on a daily basis if operations continue, but the fines are controlled by the Province. Municipal staff are currently working to implement a system of “Administrative Monetary Penalties”, which will allow higher fines than the province’s. 

Councillor Golden asked whether an STA licence can be transferred to a new owner. Deputy Clerk Lindsay Forbes explained that STA licences are not transferable; a new owner would have to apply for an STA licence from scratch.

Council will be discussing STA licencing later this fall.