Thursday afternoon, dozens of kids from a south-end neighbourhood in Guelph grabbed their skates and headed to their favourite outdoor rink.
It’s something they’d done many times before – but this time, they were risking fines from city bylaw officers.
The rink, in the Pine Ridge Drive area, sits on city-owned land.
That’s never been a problem before – not in the five winters the rink has been operating.
But after somebody called city hall to complain, everyone in the neighbourhood was given a letter forbidding them from using the rink.
“The obligation of the city is that we have to respond when a formal complaint is given,” Mayor Cam Guthrie told CTV News.
“It’s like building a shed in the middle of a park. You’re obviously going to get called on it, because it’s your shed on city-owned property.”
Mary-Anne Moroz, who lives in the area, says her kids were “really upset” when they received the city’s letter this week.
“They look forward to this rink every year,” she said.
Neighbour Dave McEachran says he’s not behind the complaint, but he does have concerns about the rink – primarily around noise from the puck and music played by those using the ice.
“We’d rather see it go and not come back,” he said.
Liability and safety concerns were two of the issues cited by Guthrie justifying the city’s position – although the mayor said he personally is supportive of community rinks in general.
Guthrie said he’ll do what he can to help the rink’s regular users, but he’s not sure any solution will allow it to stay on city land.
