Fundy LSDs cite lack of use for decision to back away from arena funding plan

Local service districts in the Fundy region have rejected a proposal that could have resulted in a property tax increase to help pay expenses for ice rinks across the greater Saint John area.

The decision has left Quispamsis Mayor Gary Clark, who chairs the Fundy Regional Service Commission, scrambling to find a way to create a workable region-wide consensus to cover operating costs for municipal ice rinks. 

The vast majority of the region's nine Local Service Districts do not contribute through their property taxes toward rinks in nearby municipalities.

"I'm looking forward to having further discussions with the premier on this to see how we can move this portfolio, this issue, forward," said Clark.

Rarely skate nearby

Representatives of the local service districts claim their residents rarely use any of the 10 rinks in Saint John and surrounding communities such as Rothesay, Quispamsis and Grand Bay-Westfield.

Steve Gourdeau is a member of the Kingston local service district, one of the largest in the region with about 2,900 people.

He said fewer than one per cent of Kingston Peninsula residents regularly use rinks in nearby towns.

"Does it make sense to tax people from the peninsula to contribute to this regional strategy?" Gourdeau asked. "Based on these numbers it doesn't make sense."

Looking for 'fair' solution

Of that handful of people, he said, a number are adults playing in men's hockey leagues.

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"The first question we asked was, OK, we're not against this, we want to be part of a solution, but it has to make sense. It has to be fair for residents of the Kingston LSD."

The usage figures compiled by the region are only about the people registered for hockey and figure skating at the arenas. People who use the walking track at the qplex in Quispamsis, for example, are not part of the tally. 

An earlier — rejected — proposal at the service commission would have seen local service districts pay a three-cent increase to their property tax rates to give their residents access to rinks in neighbouring municipalities without user fees.

Last week, representatives for the nine Fundy region local service districts voted unanimously to give their four representatives on the regional services commission the mandate to reject the new proposal by Saint John Mayor Don Darling to create some kind of regional funding model for municipal ice rinks. 

The issue will come to a head at the next monthly meeting of the service commission April 29.

Darling described the decision by the districts as "reckless."

He said the city and towns provide an employment base, services and amenities to residents of local service districts while asking little in return. He said his motion would simply have "explored" what a regional cost-sharing formula would look like.

Questions commission's value

"What this is signalling is a broken Fundy Region Service Commission model for sure," said Darling.

"If this is how it plays out, I'll certainly be asking my council to ask the provincial government to fully re-examine the model, the benefit, and ask for changes to this approach so that we can find something that brings meaningful co-operation to the table moving forward."

Fundy Regional Service Commission executive director, Marc MacLeod said if Saint John's motion does not have the required majority support at the April 29 meeting, amendments could then be proposed.

If that fails, individual municipalities could then try to reach "sub regional agreements" with neighbouring local service districts with assistance from service commission staff.