How a plan for a Toronto rec centre stirred controversy

“We deserve the same chances as everyone else,” Khuvelid Haji, 14, told the council's executive committee. “Moving (the center) here will send a clear message: Weston's youth matter and our dreams matter.”

Haji noted that Weston children often feel forgotten or left on the margins, as if such opportunities “could never be available close to home.”

But there's one catch. The city's plan would mean demolishing the ice rink in the old building, which has been around for 76 years. The move, according to local hockey leagues and the arena board, was part of a rushed process in which there was not enough consultation to figure out whether the district could have it both ways.

The tension underscores a story as old as amalgamation: A cash-strapped municipality with a growing backlog of repairs and a growing population often means communities feel like they have to fight for limited resources.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is eyeing the Weston Lions Arena, a historic indoor hockey rink. Next week if the council votes to begin lease negotiations with a multibillion-dollar corporation that will revive the blighted building as a multi-sports center.

In April, the local count. Francis Nunziata received an offer through the councilsupported by Mayor Olivia Chow to begin a feasibility study and public consultation. “One thing that young people tell me over and over again is: 'We need space. We need rest, sports and a safe place to go,” Nunziata said in an interview.

Conclusion of the study? Not only is this feasible and MLSE has a vested interest in it, but it is beneficial to the municipality as it means getting out from under the growing multi-million dollar arena renovation backlog.

The Weston Lions Arena was conceived and built by the Weston Lions Club in 1949 on site in the town and has been operated by the club under a lease agreement with the town ever since. The municipality is responsible for major repairs, replacements and upgrades, while the club is responsible for minor repairs, maintenance, operation and daily cleaning.

According to city ​​reportMore than $15 million (and as much as $21 million) are needed to overhaul the arena. But the city's Parks and Recreation Department has a 10-year capital budget that includes only $2.6 million for work that won't begin until 2031.

Sandy Ross, Chairman of the Board of Weston Lions Arena for over 25 years. years, said in an interview that he felt blindsided when the city first began working with MLSE earlier this year. By July, city officials told him they would terminate his board's lease. The facility will be allowed to operate until March 31, the end of the hockey season.

“But when you sit and analyze it all, who else could readily afford to put that much money into a building?” – said Ross. “My biggest fear is that the building will become unsafe and close and rot. That could happen in the next five years. It's already reaching the end of its useful life.”

Meanwhile, city officials said the MLSE Foundation is willing to invest $25 million in the building and revive it. Launchpadconstruction will begin next spring.

Justin Hannah, the city's director of parks and recreation, said in an interview that the necessary overhauls include “everything from new cooling systems for the ice itself, bathroom upgrades… repairs to the roof, piping and so on.” He added that this no longer meets modern standards.

Creating a LaunchPad hub means getting rid of the rink to make room for other sports and programs that are expected to be free. While Nunziata said most ice users have been transferred to other rinks and “they're happy,” some who rely on the rink feel left out.

Ross Bitow, a hockey parent and president of the Humber Valley Hockey Association, told the committee that boys' and girls' hockey associations and figure skating programs are already competing for “scarce ice” in Toronto, given that private rinks are more expensive than public rinks.

He said families in his association pay more than $850,000 a year to rent ice, mostly at the Weston Lions Arena.

“Every week (at Weston Arena) over 230 people, mostly 11-year-olds, train and play on our ice for nine hours,” Bitove said. “I understand the intent of this proposal… These benefits should not come at the expense of the thousands of children and families who rely on affordable local ice.”

Other delegations noted that Toronto's local skating rinks can provide a boost to professional sports careers.

Toronto also faces rising youth unemployment. Shuaib Jama, 14, told the committee he has difficulty finding work because he is often told he needs experience first. “How can we get experience if no one wants to give us a chance?” Jama said, noting that the MLSE LaunchPad downtown has either employed youth or helped them find jobs they never thought possible.

Paul Nagy, co-president of the CMS Hockey League, wrote in an email that his group has been playing at the rink since 1979, many of whom are Weston residents. What is “troubling is the way this process unfolded—without meaningful public consultation or transparent dialogue with those who rely on this skating rink,” he wrote.

Both Hanna and Nunziata said there have been several public consultations. “More than 1,000 people were involved,” Hannah said. “More than 60 percent supported MLSE LaunchPad.”

Toronto currently has 65 ice rinks in 50 locations, a number that hasn't changed in the last decade. While the city plans to build a two-court arena at the Don Mills Community Recreation Center, others such as the George Bell Arena and Scarborough Gardens Arena have been temporarily closed for a couple of years for renovations.

Oakman said their number of players is growing year after year, and while Mississauga, Vaughan and Markham are building new infrastructure or upgrading existing infrastructure to meet demand, “we haven't seen the same” in Toronto.

“What MLSE is doing is incredible,” Oakman said. “It’s just unfortunate that I think it’s kind of created a rift (in Weston).”

The divide was also on display among council members at Tuesday's executive committee meeting. During a visit to Count. Stephen Holiday's remarks about pushing out hockey players and discouraging young people from playing by removing ice rinks sparked a short, heated debate when he said: “The city has a duty to the hockey community.”

Graph. Amber Morley responded by noting families “who continue to bury their children” as a result of rising gun violence among youth. “When we talk about providing young people with basic safety, support and character building (programs) – it’s not just a ‘nice to have’.”

“Of course we have to keep hockey in Toronto… I would love to play,” Abdifita Warsame, program coordinator for WEE Serve Youth, a non-profit organization supporting black youth, said in an interview.

“But there are priorities in life: young people are dying, people are not able to feed their families, they are struggling with mental health problems, they are abusing drugs – especially in Weston.”

Muhamed Muse, 16, told the executive committee that he lost his 15-year-old friend to gun violence last year. “He was shot and died in the square next to the playground where we grew up.” Mario Giddings died last year the day before he was supposed to start 11th grade.

Muse says his district needs safe spaces where youth can gather and learn to change the trajectory of their future.

“It’s not enough to just save the rink,” said Ross, the arena’s board chairman. “You need a plan for what you’re going to do with the building after.”

At the end of Tuesday's meeting, Chow asked her committee to vote by show of hands on whether the city should begin lease negotiations with the MLSE Foundation.

Across the public gallery, dozens of children ranging in age from 12 to 17 also raised their hands in unison, exchanging smiles and worried glances.

A previous version of this story said the 15-year-old who died last year in Weston was Jakai Jack. In fact, it was 15-year-old Mario Giddings.