City policy could keep some Cold Lake, Alta., minor hockey players off ice, league says

Emma Zhao · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 20, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Some insignificant hockey officials successful Cold Lake, successful northeastern Alberta, are disquieted players successful non-profit leagues could suffer crystal team, aft the city changed how it prioritizes crystal sporting events to effort to make much gross for section businesses.

Amendments to the Arena and Athletic Field Use and Allocation Policy, which were approved successful March, springiness "special events" and tournaments precedence implicit section younker sports organizations for its rinks.

"It's precise disheartening," Melissa Coggar, president of Cold Lake Minor Hockey, said portion connected CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

Coggar is acrophobic her relation — which is portion of Hockey Alberta, doesn't headdress registration and works with different organizations, similar Kids Sports, to assistance families beryllium capable to spend to play — present falls beneath groups similar the Premier Hockey League, a standalone for-profit relation with minor teams peppered passim the province.

"[The metropolis is] focused much connected for-profit than we are non-profit," Coggar said.

The decision was made to supply avenues that would propulsion much resources into the local economy, said Mayor Craig Copeland, adding that, historically, assembly has overlooked specified opportunities.

"If you're bringing successful a tourney of a magnitude wherever radical are going to beryllium staying successful our hotels, that is simply a large woody for our council, due to the fact that a batch of our hotels are virtually empty," Copeland said.

He added that different businesses, similar restaurants, would besides get a boost from visitors.

"Here's an accidental to springiness backmost to the concern community, by having these large tournaments successful our community," helium said.

Coggar argued non-profit leagues bash assistance the city's economy, except "we bash not capable the hotels erstwhile we person our teams come."

Sharing the ice

Cold Lake, with a colonisation astir 17,500, has four ice-rinks, Copeland said, which is plenty for insignificant hockey leagues to enactment with.

"There are communities successful Alberta that would springiness a batch for that benignant of ratio," helium said. 

Council tin designate a bigger arena, similar Cold Lake Energy Centre, erstwhile bigger groups travel for tournaments during weekends, leaving three different rinks for the insignificant hockey leagues, Copeland said.

"Council does not separate a 13-year-old hockey subordinate betwixt the Premier Hockey League and Cold Lake Minor Hockey," helium said.

"We're not going to get into that sandbox. Everyone needs to conscionable enactment unneurotic and determination forward." 

Coggar said 1 of the rinks is owned by the subject base, and truthful the insignificant hockey league does not get precedence successful that facility.

But according to Brad Revell, a Cold Lake Minor Hockey manager and parent, it's not that simple. 

"It's disappointing due to the fact that it puts america connected the roadworthy more," Revell said, adding that his squad often had to question extracurricular the metropolis earlier the city's amendments were approved. 

The changes, helium said, springiness the league 3 different weekends each period to acceptable successful each its home games, and teams volition either extremity up playing aboriginal successful the morning, oregon aboriginal successful the evenings.

Coggar said the league is consenting to enactment with the metropolis to stock the crystal rinks, based connected the caller priorities.

LISTEN | The propulsion and propulsion betwixt non-profit hockey and for-profit clubs: 

But with lone seven weeks near to publication crystal times for each the regular play tournaments, she said time is moving retired to re-organize the schedules. The league whitethorn person to look to publication extracurricular of Cold Lake.

Coggar is besides acrophobic that fewer kids whitethorn beryllium capable to enactment successful section hockey, if parents cannot marque it enactment astir their schedules, she said.

"Our insignificant hockey children are precise important," she said.

"It's a large portion of improvement for children and it would beryllium unfortunate if we person to send distant kids."