TES-002 - Ice Time Allocation and Management Policy_2021
Title: Ice Time Allocation and Management Policy
Subject: Ice Time Allocation and Management Category: Transportation and Environment Services
Policy No.: 2018-215 M&C Report No.: 2018-215
Effective Date: July 12, 2021 Next Review Date: As required
Area(s) this policy applies to: Transportation and Office Responsible for review of this Policy:
Environment Services Transportation and Environment Services
Related Instruments: Policy Sponsors:
Commissioner of Transportation and Environment
Services
Document Pages:
This document consists of 15 pages.
Revision History:
Common Clerk's Annotation for Official Record
Date of Passage of Current Framework:___July 12, 2021________
I certify that this Policy was adopted by Common Council as indicated
above.
__ ____2021-07-12____
Common Clerk Date
Contact: Commissioner of Transportation and Environment, Michael Hugenholtz
Telephone: 658-2896
Email: Michael.hugenholtz@saintjohn.ca
ICE TIME ALLOCATION AND
MANAGEMENT POLICY
City of Saint John
Growth and Community Services
Updated: June 29, 2021
Contents
1. Authority ................................................................................................................................................. 4
2. Responsibility .......................................................................................................................................... 4
3. Guiding Principles.................................................................................................................................... 4
4. Annual Review ........................................................................................................................................ 4
5. Operational .............................................................................................................................................. 4
6. Rights Reserved ....................................................................................................................................... 5
7. Client Priority .......................................................................................................................................... 5
8. Gender Equity .......................................................................................................................................... 6
9. Residency Requirement ............................................................................................................................ 6
10. Standard of Play ................................................................................................................................... 7
11. Tournaments and Special Events .......................................................................................................... 8
12. User Cancellations .................................................................................................................................. 9
13. City Cancellations ................................................................................................................................ 9
14. Breach of Contract ............................................................................................................................... 9
15. Exclusivity ......................................................................................................................................... 10
16. Diversity of New Users or Programs................................................................................................... 10
17. Opening Arenas Outside of Standard Hours of Operation ................................................................... 10
18. Arena User Conduct and Responsibilities ........................................................................................... 10
19. General Administration ...................................................................................................................... 11
20. Administration of Fees ....................................................................................................................... 11
21. Deadlines for Ice Time Requests and Confirmation ............................................................................ 11
22. Payment Terms .................................................................................................................................... 12
23. Group Representation ......................................................................................................................... 12
24. Indemnification and Insurance Requirements ...................................................................................... 12
25. Arena Code of Conduct ..................................................................................................................... 13
26. Arena Additional Fees ....................................................................................................................... 14
CITY OF SAINT JOHN
ICE TIME ALLOCATION AND MANAGEMENT POLICY
1. Authority
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to confer upon Growth and Community Services as the
authority and responsibility for implementation of the policies as outlined herein.
2. Responsibility
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to manage, allocate, and distribute ice times for City-owned
and operated arenas. Allocation of ice time shall reflect and take account of the population, registration,
utilization, gender, and participation patterns of the community, in addition to applying provincial or
federal directives as may be required.
3. Guiding Principles
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John that the following principles are considered and referenced
in the development and updating of the Ice Allocation and Management Policy.
Optimize Usage of Ice: The Ice Allocation and Management Policy shall ensure the effective
management of total available ice time within the jurisdiction of the City of Saint John.
Access and Equality: The Policy shall ensure fair and equitable access to ice in terms of allocation, as
well as in the application of fees and charges.
Youth Sport Development: Children and youth are a priority target and special consideration is given to
accommodating children and youth activities and sport development.
Diversity: The Policy shall provide options for a wide array of users and programs, current and emerging.
Partnership: The Policy shall recognize the importance of partnerships with minor sport and community
associations in the delivery of rink-based activities.
Financial Sustainability: The Policy shall provide a transparent framework for fiscally responsible ice
facility operations.
4. Annual Review
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John that an annual review and update of the Ice Allocation and
Management Policy be conducted by the Director and staff of Growth and Community Planning Services
for City of Saint John.
5. Operational
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to update or amend any portion of this policy, as well as
operational and managerial documents as may be required to ensure policy principles are being met.
Changes or amendments made to this policy will be fairly applied.
City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
6. Rights Reserved
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to distribute ice time in an open and fair manner that best
reflect the needs of the community while reserving the right to assign and reassign ice as may be required.
7. Client Priority
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to allocate ice according to the following priorities.
Seasonal ice is considered October-March yearly.
All ice times allocated to groups 1 through 7 are to be used for the stated priority group for recreation,
developmental, and competitive use. The City of Saint John recognizes that youth associations may opt to
have paid instructors at ice times for enhanced skill development. These instructional opportunities are
not to be for profit and any additional fees charged to participants are only to cover ice time, equipment,
and a reasonable charge for instruction. The City of Saint John reserves the right to investigate such
instruction offerings to ensure they comply with this policy.
1. City of Saint John programs and special events.
Programs provided at low or no cost for recreational skating opportunities and are made
available by the City of Saint John Parks and Recreation department.
2. Youth Tournament play (refer to Section 13).
3. Youth Recreational Seasonal Requests
Associations that offer service for the majority of participants are 18 years or younger, do not
regulate membership, are non-profit, are guided by constitutions and by-laws, have auditable
financial statements, are affiliated with a sport governing body, have an elected board of directors,
and provide consistent programming of at least 20 weeks annually.
4. Youth General Seasonal Requests
Associations that offer service for the majority of participants are 18 years or younger that do not fit
into the “Youth Recreational” category. Organizations in this category include those that provide
enhanced skill development training.
Category A: Not-for-Profit – enhance skill development, competitive in nature, and
are associated with a provincial sport governing body. New Brunswick Department
of Education and School Districts fall within this category.
Category B: For-Profit – enhance skill development, competitive in nature, and
associated with an independent entity.
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
1
6. AdultAssociations, Organizations, and Groups Seasonal Requests
Purpose of the Association, Organization, or Group is to involve individuals in recreation and
sport.
Membership in the group will be made up predominately of Saint John residents.
Membership lists from the previous year will be used to determine priority.
7. Youth Recreational/General, School, and Adult requests that are less than 15 hours for the season.
8. Commercial and Occasional Users
For-profit organizations or individuals that use ice time with the intent of generating positive
net income.
8. Gender Equity
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to undertake all reasonable efforts to provide equal access
opportunities to ice time for applicant groups representing both genders.
Equitable access to recreation facilities is fundamental to the wellbeing of all citizens. The City of Saint
John is committed to achieving access and equity in allocation of public recreational spaces. Scheduling
to offer reasonable and fair opportunity to use facilities in a proportionate and equitable manner will be
achieved by taking into consideration the following:
Equitable distribution of Prime versus less desirable time slots while following identified
client priority.
Addressing existing inequities with respect to those who identify as women or girls.
Special consideration will be given to reduce significant barriers to increase inclusion for all
genders, but specifically focusing on those who identify as women or girls (start times,
facility environment, facility location, program needs, and facility amenities).
9. Residency Requirement
The City of Saint John recognizes the tax-based contributions provided by its residents toward the
development (capital) and operation of recreational facilities. The City of Saint John also recognizes that
residents will always receive priority over non-residents. Therefore, it shall be the policy of the City of
Saint John to allocate ice time based on resident rate, with the organizations/teams with higher residency
rates taking priority. The City will accommodate the regular use of ice by non-residents after resident
demand is satisfied and under special circumstances such as reciprocal agreements.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John that all applicant groups will submit to Growth and
Community Services membership lists (current year), including participants’ telephone numbers and
addresses for review by November 30. If residency information is never submitted, in addition to not
1
“Adult” means a person over the age of 19 years and includes sports or activities where the majority of participants
are greater than 19 years of age.
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
being eligible for priority bookings the following year, it will be assumed that 100% of the applicant
group is non-resident. All information received will solely be used for the purposes of address verification
and will not be sold or shared with any third parties. Once residency is confirmed, all documents will be
shredded. It is illegal for any person to falsely represent themselves. Any documents submitted under
false pretenses, forged, or misrepresented (in whole or part) will be considered void.
Associations, leagues, and teams that book ice with the City of Saint John must allow their participants at
the point of registration the opportunity to either accept or deny the sharing of their personal information
with the City of Saint John for resident verification purposes. In order for associations, leagues, and teams
to share roster information, all registrants must have informed consent. Association, league, and team
failure to allow this option at registration are asserting that all participants are non-residents. and they will
need to purchase Recreation Cards.
10. Standard of Play
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to maintain a standard of play time for various sports in
determination of minimum benchmarks for allocation requirements. The number of weekly hours
allocated to any user group will be based on justified need, with youth recreational programs receiving the
largest block of ice time but not exceeding a start time of 9pm at all three City of Saint John arenas on a
daily basis to allow adult user groups reasonable ice time hours weekly.
Not including new and emerging groups, no organization or team will exceed the allotted number of
hours from the previous season without the expressed need documented. Allotment of hours are not
guaranteed from year to year and, dependent on season requests, groups may lose hours or be relocated to
different times and/or arenas.
The standard of play is as follows:
Youth Team Ice Sports (Hockey/Ringette/Sledge, etc.)
Age Group Non-Competitive Competitive
1 Team = 15 players = Hrs./Wk. 1 Team = 17 players = Hrs./Wk.
Under 6 years 1 Team = 1 hour 1 Team = 1 hour
8 years & under 1 Team = 1 hour 1 Team = 1 hour
10 years & under 1 Team =1 hour 1 Team = 1 hour
13 years & under 1 Team = 1 hour 1 Team = 1 hour
15 years & under 1 Team = 1 hour 1 Team = 2 hours
18 years & under 1 Team = 1.5 hours 1 Team = 2.5 hours
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
Skating Program Formula
Level Minimum Participants = Hours/Week
Instructional Learn to Skate Participants/55 = 1 hour
Instructional Figure Skating Participants/24 = 2 hours
Competitive Figure Skating Participants/15 = 2.5 hours
Competitive Synchronized Skating Participants/24 = 1.5 hours
Instructional Power Skating Participants/40 = 1 hour
Competitive Speed Skating Participants/15 = 1 hour
Adult Ice Sports Programs
Level 1 Team = 12 Players or 12 Participants =
Hours/Week
Adult Ice Sports (Various Sports) 1 Team = 1 hour
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to make reasonable efforts to meet the minimum number of
hours; however, the City assumes no obligation to meet the standards. Where possible, additional needs
from applicant groups will be satisfied pending ice availability and overall demand. Efforts will be made
to maintain consistency in ice times for groups from the previous season. Mass rearrangements of ice
based on a single request may not occur.
City of Saint John Prime and Non-Prime Ice Hours
Prime Time Early Morning Pre-Prime Post-Prime
Weekdays 4pm to 10pm prior to 8am 8am-4pm 10pm-12 midnight
Weekend and 7am to 10pm n/a n/a 10pm-12 midnight
Holidays
11. Tournaments and Special Events
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to achieve a balance between recreational and special
events use during the regular ice season; therefore, a maximum of 2 weekend tournaments or special
events per month will be scheduled between October and March inclusive. Tournaments shall not be
placed on back-to-back weekends and best efforts will be made not to monopolize all arenas during the
tournaments. Tournaments are not permitted to start any earlier than 7:30am to allow staff time to prepare
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
the arena. Priority will be given to youth recreational/developmental tournaments. For-profit tournament
requests will be reviewed by staff and subject to approval based on need and displacement considerations
of weekly ice users.
Notwithstanding, additional weekend events may be considered if an applicant group can demonstrate to
the satisfaction of the Director of Growth and Community Planning Services the written agreement of
user groups affected by a proposed event.
12. User Cancellations
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to effectively manage ice booking with the objective of
minimizing administrative, revenue, and operational impacts. Therefore, cancellations will not be
permitted after the last Friday in September for any seasonal booked ice times (including tournaments).
Requests to cancel every second week and sporadic ice times throughout the season will not be accepted.
Cancellation deadline for spring ice: March 18. Cancellation deadline for summer ice: August 18.
User groups are not permitted to exchange or give scheduled ice times to other groups. Groups looking to
exchange ice times are required to notify the City of the change and City staff will make the invoice
changes.
13. City Cancellations
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to reserve the right to postpone or reschedule any permitted
ice time booking due to unscheduled circumstances, such as an emergency shutdown or facility
maintenance or repair. The City shall make all reasonable efforts to provide affected groups with
alternative ice times; if bookings cannot be coordinated, the affected user shall receive a full refund. The
City of Saint John reserves the right to cancel the offering of summer ice if sufficient interest is not shown
to justify operational costs by the application deadline.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to not cancel or postpone commercially advertised
instructional programs and leisure skate times, with the exception of the following:
Significant and high-profile special events as determined by Common Council
Low registration in instructional programs
Unscheduled emergency shut-down situations
14. Breach of Contract
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to reserve the right to cancel a contract or portion of a
contract without notice where in the opinion of the Director of Growth and Community Planning Services
the facilities are not being used for the contracted purpose or the user is violating the Arena Code of
Conduct.
The contract holder affected will receive a full refund/credit for unused bookings.
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
15. Exclusivity
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to retain the right to exclusively offer instructional
programs and leisure skate services at its arenas. Instructional programs and ice services proposed by any
applicant are subject to review and approval by Growth and Community Services. Duplication of
programs and services may be restricted.
16. Diversity of New Users or Programs
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to reasonably accommodate new users or programs to
provide for unmet or emerging community needs while also meeting other criteria outlined in this policy.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to recognize new organizations and/or emerging under-
represented recreation offering/user groups and allocate ice time to enable these groups to establish their
programs and services. The City of Saint John values diversity and recognizes the value to the community
in supporting such groups and opportunities. The City will use unallocated ice first to meet the needs of a
new applicant but reserves the right to reasonably reallocate hours from existing users, if warranted for a
period not exceeding one year.
17. Opening Arenas Outside of Standard Hours of Operation
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to consider opening arenas outside of standard hours of
operation and charge fees that cover all hourly rates as well as full operational costs, pending the
availability of staff.
18. Arena User Conduct and Responsibilities
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to require all applicant groups to agree to abide by the
Arena Code of Conduct as well as all additional rules and regulations that may be attached to a rental
agreement or posted within the arena being rented. In the case of a conflict between rules or regulations,
the more stringent rules shall apply.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to require that all users vacate the dressing rooms within 30
minutes of the conclusion of their rental period.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to authorize the Arena Manager or designate supervisor as
the responsible party for the assignment of dressing rooms. Dressing Room keys will only be issued to
managers or coaches.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to not accept responsibility for any lost, stolen, or
misplaced personal items or equipment of users or applicant groups including but not limited to, items left
unattended in the locker rooms or main arena.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John that all applicant groups and users assume full and
exclusive responsibility for all damages or losses to property, fixtures, and equipment belonging to the
City if caused by the applicant group or its respective members, staff, agents, or guests participating in or
observing events during the term covered by the rental agreement. The applicant group will notify the
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
Arena Manager or designate immediately of any vandalism, damages or losses to City property, fixtures,
and equipment.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John that all applicant groups and users are prohibited from
bringing alcoholic beverages into City arenas.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John that all application groups and users uphold the provincial
legislation regarding the Smoke Free Places Act, which prohibits smoking/vaping in all enclosed public
places.
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to reserve the right to eject any person and/or the
organization from the facility for noncompliance at the sole and absolute discretion of the City’s Arena
Manager or designate supervisor in charge.
19. General Administration
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to require all applicant groups and users to submit requests
for booking and cancellations on City-approved application forms. The City of Saint John reserves the
right to reject applications and requests from clients who submit forms which are incomplete, contain
falsified information, or are submitted after published deadlines.
20. Administration of Fees
It shall be the policy of the City of Saint John to assign upon the Director of the Growth and Community
Planning Services the authority and responsibility for:
a) Establishing procedures and guidelines for managing rental agreements and fees within the
framework of this policy.
b) Maintaining liaison with other Government agencies, including the Greater Saint John Regional
Facilities Commission, the Lord Beaverbrook Rink, and other user groups and organizations
concerned with rental agreements and fees for arenas within Greater Saint John.
c) Implementing a fee policy that is consistent with the market value and pursuing cost recovery of
the arena rental service being offered within Greater Saint John.
d) Implementing the rental agreement and fee policy and procedures, including properly collecting
fees.
21. Deadlines for Ice Time Requests and Confirmation
When requesting and allocating ice time requests, the following time frames are mandatory:
Season Dates Application Due Date Contract Emailed Signed Contract
Returned
strdst
Spring Apr 1 to Apr 30 1 Friday in February 3 Friday in February 1 Friday in March
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
nd
Summer Sept 1 to Early Last Friday in June 2 Friday in June Last Friday in June
Oct
ndstrdnd
Fall/Winter 2 Friday in Oct 1 Friday in August 3 Friday in August 2 Friday in
to March 31 September
Contracts that are not signed and returned by the specified date will be considered null and void and the
associated ice time will go back for sale. Contract cancellations will be subject to cancellation
administration charges (see section 14) after signing date. Arena bookings for each season will not be
issued until all accounts are paid in full from the previous year.
22. Payment Terms
See below chart for seasonal payment terms. Delinquent accounts will be subject to stricter payment
guidelines. Late payments will be subject to additional charges (see attached fees).
In an effort to minimize administrative time, multiple invoices will not be issued to the same account
holder. This generates numerous staff hours to verify multiple invoices for payment, updating and issuing.
Season 50% Payment Full Payment Post Dated Cheques
Spring At Time of First Rental Last day in April Not accepted
Summer Second Friday in Second Friday in In total Sept 30
September October
Fall/Winter Last day in November Last day in March Nov 1, Dec 1, Jan 1, Feb
1, Mar 1,
23. Group Representation
In order for the City of Saint John to effectively serve their customers, all groups are asked to elect no
more than two representatives to serve as liaison between Growth and Community Services and their
group. All communications between the group and Growth and Community Services, at all times, be
channelled through each group’s representatives.
24. Indemnification and Insurance Requirements
The user must, at all times, during which it is allocated ice time in City of Saint John arenas, keep in force
and in effect a Comprehensive General Liability insurance policy. A copy of the insurance certificate
must be presented to the City of Saint John before time of first booking with the following requirements
being met:
a) Minimum limits of two million ($2,000,000)
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
b) The City of Saint John added as “Additional Insured”
c) A cross liability clause
d) For organizations/group dealing with youth 18yrs and under, Limit and Conditional Coverage for
Physical and Sexual Abuse is required.
e) The insurers will give thirty (30) days’ notice of cancellation of this policy to the City of Saint
John.
f) If any group does not have the required insurance coverage, it can be purchased through
the City of Saint John’s insurance carrier for a nominal rate. For example a hockey team
can purchase the appropriate coverage for $150.00 per season.
25. Arena Code of Conduct
ARENA CODE OF CONDUCT
In an effort to ensure all activities in City of Saint John arenas are desirable and fulfilling
experiences for all involved, the City of Saint John has an ‘Arena Code of Conduct’ policy.
The City of Saint John also supports the individual ‘Code of Conduct’ policies of organizations
and associations who use City of Saint John facilities.
The City of Saint John is committed to providing an environment in which all individuals are
treated with courtesy and respect. As such, all arena users shall conduct themselves in a manner
consistent with good sportsmanship and behaviour that is appropriate, fair, and mutually
respectful. Harassment and discrimination are never acceptable and will not be tolerated.
If at any time an arena user feels harassed, they should report this concern to a game official,
City staff, league official, or school official.
Please note the following:
1. Any person whose conduct is not conducive to maintaining a positive environment
during the event will be given a verbal warning to improve their behaviour or may be
asked to leave, dependent upon the severity of their behaviour. This action can be taken by
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
a game official, City staff, league official, or school official. City staff need to be informed
whenever a verbal warning has been issued. Physical abuse violations will result in an
immediate dismissal, with follow-up investigation.
2. If the person continues to be disruptive, it is at the discretion of the game official, City
staff, league official, or school official to ask the individual to leave the building, or to
directly contact the Saint John Police Force to escort the person from the facility (any
citizen has the right to call Police if they feel threatened, at any time).
3. Any person or group found to be in violation of the terms of the Ice Allocation Policy
will be subject to the listed penalties in the Arena Code of Conduct Policy.
* If multiple league/team participants are receiving warnings regarding their behaviour, they will
be treated as one and the league/team designate will be contacted. If the behaviours do not
improve, ice time may be reduced/taken away. This will be at the discretion of Growth and
Community Services staff, upon investigation. Examples of unacceptable behaviour include the
consumption of alcohol/drugs, smoking/vaping, and verbal/physical abuse.
26. Arena Additional Fees
Charge Fee
NSF $25
Late payment fee $50 – Team
(payments not paid on time) $200 – League
Non-Compliance $50 per week, to a maximum of
(request for residency information)
$200 if they never submit, plus will not be
eligible for priority bookings the following
year.
Delinquent Account
25% of invoice is due prior to first
booking;
(applied to accounts that were
25% due within first quarter of
delinquent the year previous)
season,
25% due halfway through season,
25% (remainder) due three quarters
of the way through season.
Facility Clean Up $50 first time offense
$100 any recurring offenses
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City of Saint John Ice Allocation Policy
Recreation Card Non Resident $200+HST
Recreation Card Non-Compliant $300+HST
Association/Team
Associations, Leagues and team that
knowingly allow players that so not have
recreation card to participate in seasonal
ice, will be fined $300 for each participant
upon discovery. The fine will go on the
seasonal ice invoice. In the event that the
non-compliant player obtains a recreation
card, the fine will be reduced to $100.00.
Void Key Deposit Return $100; repeated infractions may result in loss
of key privileges.
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