City of Delta COMMISSION REPORT Regular Meeting To: Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission File No.: 14150-20 From: Parks, Recreation & Culture Department Date: August 30, 2019 Delta Ice Hawks - Request to Host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup • RECOMMENDATIONS: A. THAT the Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission review the request from the Delta Ice Hawks Junior B Hockey Club to host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup at the Ladner Leisure Centre from April 15 to 18, 2021 (Attachment A). B. THAT the Mayor, City Manager and Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture arrange a meeting with all impacted user groups to discuss the potential of hosting the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup at the Ladner Leisure Centre from April 15 -18, 2021 . ----------------- --- --------- • PURPOSE: The purpose of this report is to identify the potential impact and displacement of facility users should consideration be given to host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup at the Ladner Leisure Centre (Centre). • BACKGROUND: Following the June 4, 2019 Mayor's Sport Summit, a letter was received from Edward Epshtein, Owner and President of the Delta Ice Hawks Junior B Hockey Club (Club). The letter requested that the Mayor, Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture and the Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission consider the Club's request to host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup at the Ladner Leisure Centre from April 15 - 18, 2021. Also included in the letter was a request that staff review the hourly fee charged to the Club for game ice rental. The Club expressed concern that the current season fee of $385/hr. has resulted in a significant financial burden to the Club. • DISCUSSION: Subsequent to receiving the letter, staff conducted a review of fees paid by other Junior B teams in the lower mainland. This review concluded that rates in Delta for game ice was higher than the rates charged elsewhere. Delta rates were based on commercial fees for games. As such, fees applied to game and practice time have been reduced to $160/hour. It should be noted that the Club currently do not have a practice time in Page 2 of 3 Delta Ice Hawks - Request to Host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup 14150-20 August30,2019 Delta. On September 5, 2019 correspondence was received by the Mayor's office from Mr. Epshtein expressing his sincere gratitude to staff for adjusting the fee, and for the support the Club has received from the City of Delta The Club is a member of the Pacific Junior Hockey League and play their home games of the 12 team-interlocking schedule at the Centre. The Club competes for the league championship and the right to represent the league at the Cyclone Taylor Cup; the BC Hockey Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship (Championship). The Club is requesting an opportunity to host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup at the Centre April 15 - 18, 2021. The Championship features league winners of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, and the Pacific Junior Hockey League. The Championship schedule consists of two games per day over the course of the four days, (eight games in total) in a round robin tournament format with the "host" team to determine the Bronze and Gold medal champions. Impacts: Hosting an ice hockey championship at the Centre in mid-April can have implications on the various community user groups who require dry floor space (lacrosse, ball hockey and roller hockey) for their sport. The normal sched~led end of ice season at the Centre is March 31. At which time ice is removed and dry floor sports begin practicing around the end of the first week of April. Delta has an agreement with the Vancouver Junior Hockey Ltd. Partnership (Giants) that requires Delta to provide practice ice at the Centre "to the end of the Western Hockey League playoff schedule". In the spring of 2019 the Giants went far into the playoffs and required Delta's practice ice. Dry floor users voiced their objection to the agreement. Should the Giants impact the dry floor schedule in 2021 hosting the Cyclone Taylor Cup would not have further impacts on dry floor use, however the requirement is not predictable in advance and the Club requires an answer shortly. Without consideration of the Giants, hosting the Cyclone Taylor Cup will displace approximately 118 hours of dry floor use. In an effort to mitigate the displacement impact upon the dry floor users neighboring community arenas may be able to accommodate some of the displacement if the users are willing to travel to these venues. Given the degree of concern expressed by dry floor users over the existing agreement with the Giants along with this new request it is recommended that a meeting be hosted with the Mayor, City Manager and Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture along with all potentially impacted stakeholders prior to any decision regarding this request. i v'\DiVilN\Comrnittee_Corrim1ss1on\Co111rnission Reports\Commission Reports - 2019\PA006 doo, - Tr1ursday September ·12 2019 ·1 D:23 i~j 1,r·!i Page 3 of 3 Delta Ice Hawks - Request to Host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup 14150-20 August30,2019 Implications: Financial Implications - There are no financial implications associated with this report. • CONCLUSION: The request by the Delta Ice Hawks Junior B Hockey Club to host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup at the Ladner Leisure Centre from April 15 - 18, 2021, will have an impact on other facility user groups. A review of the request involving all stakeholders prior to a decision is required. Ken Kuntz Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture Department submission prepared by: Pat Ansell, Recreation Complex Facility Manager PNbw/dlc • ATTACHMENT: A. Delta Ice Hawks request to host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup F <,,;r;r,1;N1cc11-;rn1tt•:.c-) __ C·~nim1ss1orl'Comrrilss1~11 f'\epor1~;\Cornmiss1on Reports - 20·191PA006.ciocx - Thursday September 12. 2019 '!C1 2: i/ Ar.i Attachment A Page 1of2 July 8, 2019 Office of the Mayor, George V. Harvie Ken Kuntz, Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission City of Delta 4500 Clarence Taylor Crescent Delta, BC V4K3E2 Re: Major's Sport Summit Dear Mayor George Harvie, Mr. Ken Kuntz and Members of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission: 111 Thank you for organizing the Mayor's Sport Summit on June 4 , 2019 and sharing your vision and plan for the future of Delta's parks, culture and recreation facilities. We appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback to the City's officials to help Delta's sports community to improve and deliver better programming to the participants. It was a very enjoyable and informative event. As discussed during the meeting, Delta Ice Hawks would like to ask for assistance from the Commission with the following matters: 1) Hosting of the Provincial Championship Tournament - Cyclone Taylor Cup from April 15 to 18, 2021. Hosting Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament at Ladner Leisure Centre would require keeping the ice on 1 until April l 8 h and rescheduling lacrosse teams that usually have access to dry floor at the beginning of April. We would also like to ask for the City's representative assistance on the management committee for the tournament. 2) Game Ice Rate The hourly fee for our game ice rental was increased starting the 2017/1 8 season from $175/hr to $385/hr in the upcoming season. This increase has resulted in significant financial burden on the team over the last two years. This rate is much higher than the rate paid by other user groups in the City of Delta and by other teams in the league. Delta Ice Hawks, Ladner Leisure Centre, 4600 Clarence Taylor Cres., Delta BC, V4K 3X2 Attachment A Page 2 of 2 The survey of the hourly rates paid by the different teams in the league indicates that the average hourly ice rental rate for the home games is approximately $200 per hour. Other adult and youth user groups in the City of Delta also pay below $200/hr. We ask for your consideration to review our home game ice rental fee to be in-line with the fees charged to other user groups by the City of Delta. 3) Practice Ice Availability There is shortage of ice in Delta and the team practices during the regular season are held in Richmond or private rinks. We would like to request one regular practice ice time per week in our home rink. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, "Eduard Epshtein" Eduard Epshtein, CPA, CA Owner and President C: 604-806-0 I 04 [email protected] About Delta Ice Hawks Delta Ice Hawks Junior Hockey Club is a proud member of Delta Community and plays its home games every Tuesday night starting in September through March at Ladner Leisure Centre. The team has been part of Delta Community since 1997 and member of the Pacific Junior Hockey League, which is entering its fifty-fourth season. Delta Ice Hawks is proud not only of the NHL players that played for the team but many 16 to 20-year-old young men from Delta and surrounding areas that played junior hockey in their community while pursuing education or starting their careers. The team is are also proud with our off-ice performance, engaging young skaters for our seventh skater program, figure skating performances during our intermissions, raising funds for charity and minor hockey teams, providing free skates and coaching for minor hockey players. Delta Ice Hawks relies on approximately twenty volunteers and a few paid staff for coaching and running its games and operations. The amount of time that our staff and volunteers dedicate to the team is remarkable.