Restigouche minor hockey may take hit with new Campbellton user fee

Hockey dad Roger Hickey says he knows the cost of having children involved in minor hockey. He's spent a lot of money on registration, equipment and more to have his four children involved over the past 13 years.

But now, the resident of Dalhousie Junction, N.B., will have to pay more after Campbellton's city council voted Aug. 30 to implement a $200 user fee for non-residents to use the Memorial Civic Centre.

The vote came after the city asked villages and local service districts for financial help in early August, giving them a deadline of Aug, 24 to respond.

Mayor Stephanie Anglehart-Paulin said the city could no longer pay the cost of operating the civic centre alone and asked for regional help. 

Many rejected the idea, but residents of Dalhousie and Tide Head are exempt because of previous agreements they have with the city.

Hickey, a vice president with the Restigouche North Minor Hockey Association, says it will hurt his children and other children as well.

"It's too bad they wouldn't have sat down and talked to us and discussed other alternatives of how to do it," he said.

Hickey said the minor hockey association could have looked at paying more for ice rentals or added it to the registration fee for the upcoming season. 

"There's other fundraisers that we could have done. To me, there was other alternatives that could have been taken." 

Hitting wrong area

Hickey said the Restigouche North association is going to hold an emergency meeting to discuss what can be done. The association spent $80,000 in ice rentals last season.

"There's going to be some kids and some families that can't afford it. I mean, to me, they're hitting the wrong area." 

While Restigouche North had 290 players registered last year, Hickey is not sure how many players they will lose because of the fee.

Registration fees range from $300 to $900 depending on the level. For Hickey, he'll be paying close to $3,000 for registrations and user fees. 

"They only hit certain areas — they only hit the minor hockey, the skating and the figure skating."

A release issued Aug. 31 by the city, and signed by Anglehart-Paulin, says a leisure card will be required to be admitted into any public activities at the civic centre as well as to register for minor hockey, figure skating and speed skating. 

Some exempt, others not

But those who use the building for rentals — adult hockey, schools booking the pool, convention centre events and birthday parties — and those who rent space, like a dance school and YMCA, will not be required to pay the user fee.

"I don't think, personally, this is really right," said Hickey. "Myself, if I don't want to pay a user fee, I'll just stop playing hockey. My decision. But whereas if you're going after kids, it's a little more touchy [because] parents don't want to see their kids upset.

"They hit the most vulnerable​ places." 

While the minor hockey association makes use of the arena in Dalhousie, Hickey wonders if they'll look at options of playing more games there or at the arena in Belledune. 

In the release, Anglehart-Paulin said city council was left with no choice but to put the user fee in place.