Steinbach City Council has received reassurance that there’s enough ice time available for local sports and community use at the Southeast Event Centre. During the October 14 meeting, Councillor Susan Penner said she had heard concerns from minor hockey about being pushed aside after the Eastman Selects signed a contract with the facility. She then asked, “Is there something you can say to reassure minor hockey and the community?” In response, facility representatives said there is more than enough ice time to meet community needs. Jarrett Bishop, Southeast Events Group (SEG) treasurer, told council that ice utilization “is not what you think,” adding that the main ice sheet, known as The Bowl, had only 58 percent utilization during prime hours. Those hours are Monday to Friday from 4 to 11 p.m. and on weekends. Non-prime hours showed 33 percent utilization for The Bowl, while the TG Smith Arena showed even lower percentages. SEG board president Grant Lazaruk explained that the Eastman Selects had earlier practice times because that’s when ice was available, but their schedule can shift as needed. “They can be pushed back because they are an older team,” he said, adding that SEG could hold more frequent meetings with the minor hockey board to keep communication open and provide reassurance that there is enough ice time for all groups. Councillor Jac Siemens noted that a truer picture of ice requirements will only be visible when practices and games are fully underway for minor sports, including ringette. Bishop added, “All of those key groups have their time booked for the season. Maybe they didn't get the right hours they wanted.” Mayor Funk says data shows plenty of room Mayor Earl Funk said he was pleased to see SEG provide concrete numbers to address public concerns. “It was really great to see that they had numbers to back up usage and that in the actual event centre ice level, only 58 percent of the prime time ice is being used,” he said. “When you put that together with the TG Smith Centre, where they’re at 43 percent of prime usage and 16 percent of non-prime usage, I think it just shows that there’s lots of ice to be had in our community.” Funk added that the city will continue working with SEG to ensure residents understand how ice time is being allocated. “I think this needs to be adequately conveyed to our minor hockey parents,” he said. “Maybe the board talks to board, but I don’t know if the parents always hear, and I think this needs to be conveyed to all people who have kids on the ice.” Regional team brings benefits to Steinbach Funk said there are many positives to having the Eastman Selects call Steinbach home, even though it’s a regional team. “There are quite a few Steinbach kids playing for the Selects, but it’s okay if it’s a regional team because that brings players and their families into our community,” he said. “There’ll be economic spin-off from that, and when visiting teams like the Norman North Stars come, they bring their fans too. The spin-off can be huge.” Public skating times announced Councillor Siemens also brought forward another concern he’s heard from residents. “One other comment that I've heard is that there's no public skating,” he said. Lazaruk agreed that it’s something to look at, saying “That’s a good point.” Bishop suggested the facility try to replicate the public skate times that had previously been offered at the TG Smith Arena. Since the meeting, public skate times have been added to the events calendar for both ice sheets. Public skating will take place on Saturday, October 25 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the main ice, and again on Sunday, October 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This winter, there is no admission fee, and skaters are reminded helmets are recommended and for safety reasons, no sticks or pucks are permitted during public skating sessions. The full ice schedule can be found on the Southeast Event Centre’s website under the "Events" tab, then click "Calendar" where you can select which part of the centre you want to see. Funding request still under review SEG also presented its financial update to council, noting that the centre opened later than expected, which affected its first-year revenues. The group is requesting financial support from the city to help cover a projected shortfall. Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra said council will consider the request carefully as part of its upcoming budget discussions. “This is a significant amount,” he said. “When you have about $440,000 requested for operating and a similar amount for capital, that’s nearly $1 million. We want the event centre to succeed, it’s a jewel of our community, but we also need to make sure we’re considering the needs of the city as a whole.” Council will discuss the request at its annual planning session in November.