Minto Minor Hockey is hoping the municipality instead of parents to absorb the impact the HST will have on minor Sports costs.
Joel Martin and Ryan Cherrey representing Minto Minor Sports are troubled by the potential impact of the Harmonized Sales Tax regarding minor Sports.
“We’re here in regard to the impact of the HST,” Martin said.
The pair had previous attended the town’s parks and recreation committee, concerned with the impact of the HST.
Martin said Minto Minor Hockey involves about 130 families and 170 children within Minto.
Registration has remained stable for the past few years, while registration rates have increased significantly in the past two years to keep up with the increase of costs, Martin said.
The group revenue is derived from registrations.
“In addition, there is fundraising to meet the needs of our organization.”
That is done through tournaments, door admissions, sponsorships, shop and support, ball hockey league, the Minto Redneck Games and ticket draws.
“This year, tournaments raised a little over $30,000 for us.”
He noted the group is working with the Minto Chamber of Commerce to provide a more local shop and support program.
He talked briefly of the partnership with the town to provide a ball hockey league.
“It worked out very well for us.”
Martin added another partnership is in assisting for the Redneck Games, running the bar at the comedy night in Palmerston.
At the same time, Martin recognized that ice times account for 68% of minor hockey expenses.
“As we look at the sustainability of minor hockey, and keeping it affordable, we obviously looked at the biggest expense first – and that is the ice time.
As a result, Minto Minor Hockey would like three-year agreement.
He said Minto Minor Hockey is asking council to eliminate the $3 per hour increase on icetime for the 2010-2011 season and stabilize the ice rate at $90 per hour for the upcoming season.
Minto had proposed increasing the rate from $90 to $93 per hour.
Martin added that the organization runs 12 tournaments each year.
“It is our biggest fundraiser. We run a tournament for each team.”
He added except for three events, the remainder were fully booked.
As a result, the group would like to see ice rates for tournaments drop from $90 to $75 per hour.
Plus they’d like the town to enter into a three-year contract, “so we can keep on top of our budgeting and expenses.”
Martin said one of the problems encountered this year, was the first registration was done in April, but the ice rate for the coming year was not passed until the budget in May.
“We’d already set our registration and rates before we knew of the changes.”
These changes were proposed to decrease the impact of the HST?combined with Minto’s proposed ice rate increase.
He suggested the impact of the proposed ice rate increase and the HST created the equivalent of an ice rate of $105 – an 11.2% increase.
In total, that impact was estimated at roughly $8,500 increase – or just over $50 per player for ice times alone.
Martin stressed that even keeping ice rates as they are and dropping tournament rates to $75, the HST is still projected to increase rates by over $22 per player.
“We’d still be absorbing about half of the increase.
“We’re not here looking for a decrease, we’re here looking for a way to make hockey sustainable in Minto.”
The problem he said is that if registration declines, the number of hours used will also drop.
He considered the proposal as a way to phase in the effects of the HST.
“We fully understand the HST?is something council has no control over.”
Mayor David Anderson said this is an issue for minor Sports groups all over Ontario.
He noted a resolution was coming before council that night from another municipality concerned with the impact of the HST?to minor Sports.
“It’s tough.”
Anderson also recognized the importance of the role played by groups such as Minto Minor Hockey in providing opportunities for kids to play hockey and improve their skills.
“It’s a great organization.”
At the same time, Anderson said “you can only do things in partnerships to achieve things.”
He said this would be something to be discussed later on during the council meeting.
He added that the issue was brought forward by councillor David Turton at the previous council meeting.
“It’s a serious issue.”
Anderson said the group had asked for leniency and hadn’t been getting direct answers.
Martin agreed, “this is not the first place we came to.”
He said for Minto Minor Hockey, the average registration is now a little over $400.
“It’s getting the point where we’ve gone up $135 in the past two years. Unfortunately, it’s becoming unaffordable for a lot of people. That doesn’t bode well for a town with three arenas.”
Councillor Rick Hembly said it is unfortunate that the federal and provincial governments are always pushing healthy lifestyles, “and now they’re taxing people who want to get involved in physical activity … I just don’t understand.”
Hembly said he was ready to make a decision then and there.
Anderson however said there are other issues which need to be talked about first.
“Basically, we’re just trying to help out the parents,” Cherrey said. “To us as an executive, we don’t want to raise fees $50, but if we have to, we have to.”
The goal is to make it easy for parents to let their kids play.
Anderson assured the presenters that the municipality would respond as soon as possible.
