THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay City Council will consider installing a retractable safety net at its hockey arenas, including Fort William Gardens, after councilors unanimously back Mayor Bill Mauro’s call for a report on the matter .

With the city’s bullring reopening, Mauro said the time had come to consider the matter, which was first brought to council during a citizen delegation in January 2020.

According to a memo from General Manager of Community Services Kelly Robertson presented to council on Monday, city staff said “observed incidents of pucks leaving the ice surface vary by facility / activity and are rare.”

Robertson said on Wednesday she was not aware of any incidents of flying pucks causing injury at arenas across the city in the recent past.

Safety nets are already installed in the end areas of municipal arenas. Mauro’s motion orders the city administration to come back with a report by the end of January 2022 on the possibility of adding nets in front of other spectator areas.

The report will include updated cost estimates and potential funding sources in time for consideration during 2022 city budget deliberations in January and February.

Installing a retractable netting could cost nearly $ 140,000 in total, based on rough cost estimates presented to council in January 2020. This includes an estimate of $ 84,000 for the Fort William Gardens and an estimated maximum. $ 52,500 for the city’s five satellite arenas (Neebing, Delaney, Port Arthur, Grandview, Current River).

Com. Rebecca Johnson said without a strong rationale for this step, she would have a hard time supporting the spending.

“I’m not ready to vote for anything more for the budget at this point unless you can provide me with a very good reason why it should be here,” she said. “From this memo, I don’t see the need to have this.

The General Counsel asked the administration what would be taken out of the 2022 draft budget, if the costs of the compensation were recommended for approval.

“I would like to rephrase the answer a bit,” Gale said. “The question would not be whether [administration] whether we support it or not, these are competing priorities …. If we were to add it to the budget, we wouldn’t need to take anything out. We would increase the capital budget.

The council could choose to remove other items to keep the budget stable, he said.

Com. Andrew Foulds said the budget debate was premature, noting Mauro’s motion simply called for a report.

The additional information will allow the board to “make informed decisions during the budget,” he said.

Com. Albert Aiello said the issue was well worth considering.

“I think it’s important to be proactive,” he said. “In our rinks we want to provide a positive experience, and it’s no fun when someone gets a puck to the head… We don’t want to see anyone get hurt.

Com. Brian Hamilton, on the other hand, was cool about the idea.

“I wonder a bit about the experience of the spectator, of having a net in front of people watching their children play,” he said. “In a lot of satellite arenas, it’s not professional level hockey… Personally, I would prefer to see my kids without a net.

Robertson told councilors the city received varying opinions in 2020 on whether a net should be taken from various user groups.

“Different users have different views on how to use the net and how it might affect their enjoyment,” she said. “We will endeavor to obtain further consideration of these comments.”

The eventual recommendation on nets might be different for a facility like Fort William Gardens than for satellite arenas, given the different uses of the space, Robertson said.

There is no legislative obligation to protect spectator areas with a net, she said. However, she noted that the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association recommends adherence to the CSA Spectator Safety Guideline, which includes the installation of netting.

Considerations for the decision will include factors such as various facility uses, history and likelihood of incidents, spectator viewing experience, and ongoing operational costs, according to Robertson’s memo.