Halifax Regional Municipality Community Access Plan for

Halifax Regional Municipality
Community Access Plan for
Municipally Owned Arenas
Council Leadership and
Commitment
Regional Council took a leadership role by:
a) Approving the Short Term Arena Strategy (4Pad
Arena) January 2009 including the Community Access
Plan for initiation at the BMO Centre
b) Approving the Long Term Arena Strategy in August
2012 including the initiation of the Community
Access Plan at all Municipally owned arenas
What is the CAP?
 Policy document approved by Regional Council in
August 2012.
 Created in order to ensure fair and equitable access to
municipal sport and recreation infrastructure, by
gender, sport, historically underserved groups, and
emerging sport groups.
What will we do during this session?
This session will
walk you through the
fundamental aspects of the Plan,
and will highlight the Ice Allocation Policy
as a key deliverable and example, of
how equitable facility scheduling
can change access and opportunities for all citizens.
BMO Centre and Nustadia
Recreation
PARTNERSHIP
 The original document was created through a
partnership with the Halifax Regional Municipality
and was established as the guiding document for the
new HRM 4 Pad Arena Complex.
 NRI acknowledged this partnership as well as reflect
the concerns and needs of the community in order to
create / provide an exceptional sports / recreation
experience.
Background – Prime Time
 Short Term Arena Strategy – never intended to satisfy
all Prime Time asks
 Long Term Arena Strategy – does not propose
additional sheets to the indoor ice inventory
 Cannot meet all Prime Time wants/requests and still
operate fiscally sustainable facilities
 Non prime time users are required at all arena facilities
for financial sustainability
Importance of Equity
 Throughout Short Term Arena (4Pad) analysis, equity
issues were discussed with Council. Confirmation of
ongoing issues throughout LTAS process.
 Inequitable access to ice for new and underserviced sports




Female hockey (girls and women)
Ringette
Figure skating
Sledge Hockey
Importance of Equity
 Responsibility to serve all segments of our population
 Appropriate usage of municipal assets
CAP - Ice Allocation Policy
Evolution of the CAP
First, it was specifically a BMO Centre policy
At that time, it was not a Regional policy
 Status quo decision making at existing facilities
 Individual arena operators allocate ice as per past
practices
Then, April 1 2013, CAP became a Regional Policy
Why Ice Allocation Policy
 Existing practices of ice allocation is no longer appropriate
 Grandfathering of hours
 Giving priority to youth
 Which sports get preference?
 Gender inequities
 Underserviced groups
 Which youth get preference?
Ice Allocation Policy
 How it will work
 Annual review of registered participants per
organization
 Proportionate allocation between sports, groups,
including gender, disabled, etc
 Standard of Fair Play: Use national sport org.
recommended hours per athlete level (need vs want)
 Equity among adult groups, including prime time
Ice Allocation Policy
 Annually, ice time not needed must be returned to each
facility to reassign – not sold by individual user groups
 Role of Pricing
 Differentiates prime & non-prime
 Groups outside HRM pay full rate
 Adult / private users pay full rate, subsidizing youth /
affiliated
Ice Allocation Policy
 Youth / Affiliated Users:
 Minor hockey
 Figure skating
 Ringette
 Sledge Hockey
 High school hockey
Ice Allocation Policy
 Guidelines for allocation
 No less than 50% to affiliated
 No more than 15% for public programming
 No more than 35% organized adult programs
Prime Time Ice Allocation Target
Adult
Affiliate
15%
85%
0%
CH Place
Eastern
Shore
Sportsplex
Bowles
Gray
SSS
Female
Lebrun
4Pad
SMBCC
Centennial
Devonshire
Hfx Forum
Spryfield
MC
2010 Regular Season
Adult Prime Time Analysis: Male vs Female
Male
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
Regional Ice Allocation Policy
 Why do municipalities steer away from developing
region – wide ice allocation policies?
 Controversial
 Challenges the status quo
Ltas 2012
Table 13: Access in minutes per Participant 2011/2012
# of Participants # of Ice Minutes Per
Hours Participant
Eastern Shore Hockey
Cole Harbour Hockey
Dartmouth Whalers
Bedford Minor Hockey
TASA Minor Hockey
Halifax Hawkes Hockey
Chebucto Minor Hockey
Sackville Minor Hockey
357
697
911
962
995
979
564
839
37
106
142
129
109.5
108
52.5
97
10.4
15.2
15.6
13.5
11.0
11.0
9.3
11.5
Total
5,465
684
Average 12.0
Eastern Shore Ringette
Cole Harbour Ringette
Dartmouth Ringette
Sackville Ringette
Bedford Ringette
HSM Ringette
Chebucto Ringette
Total
Shearwater Skate Club
Dartmouth Skate Club
Sackville Skate Club
Bedford Skate Club
St. Margaret’s Skate Club
Halifax Skate Club
Dalhousie Skate Club
Total
Speed Skating
31
179
124
142
183
159
162
980
132
274
299
223
280
191
17
1,416
Unconfirmed
2
14
12
10
15
14
11
78
6.4
7.8
9.6
7.0
8.1
8.8
6.7
Average 7.8
20
21
16.5
14.5
18
9
6
105
15.0
7.0
5.0
6.0
6.0
5.0
3.5
Average 7.4
Why Regional Ice Allocation Policy
 Why do municipalities adopt region – wide ice
allocation policies?
 Ethical
 Legal
 Logistical
 Why do they NOT?
 Staff are people too, and the push-back can be very
hard on sensitive people 
 It’s a difficult cultural and paradigm shift
 You get taken off Christmas Card lists
 Push back from traditional user groups is awkward and
unpleasant
Community Access Policy
• Priorities and Guiding Principles
– Fairness and Equity
– Inclusivity
– Financial Sustainability
– Environmental Sustainability
– Regional Facility
Successful implementation can only be if achieved when the
CAP is applied with a rational, consistent and common sense
approach.
CAP within a facility
• Able to incorporate consistency
• Able to address the underlying Moral/Ethical
Issues
• Able to avoid the “Legal-reality”
CAP had advantages in a new facility
• Our size allows us to handle Logistics
• No history
• Expectation preceded implementation
Allocations
• Annual review of registered participants per
organization
• Proportionate allocation between sports,
groups
• Gender and other considerations
• Standard of Fair Play (NSO recommendation
hours per athlete)
• Equity among adults, even in prime time
How to!
1.
Communicate with current clients. Send clients a
letter indicating that they should apply for their
preferred and next choice hours by the deadline in
the document (pg 8)
1.
Individual facilities will attempt to schedule all
request, following the protocol outlined.
2. GM’s and Schedulers will meet as a group to resolve
any potential conflicts etc PRIOR to final responses
to clients
3. Regular scheduling and contractual arrangements for
regular season take place at each facility
Potential Push-Back from Clients
 Fear of losing of primetime hours
 Remember “who” built this facility
 Worried about being displaced by a policy decision
 Resistance to being told where to play
 Taking business elsewhere
Dates and Deadlines – Regular Season
Affiliates
Jan 31
March 31
June 31
August 15
User groups provide actual registered numbers of
users from the previous year based on the SOFP
to be applied to requests
Management advises all associations of whether
or not their requests meet the SOFP formula
Notification to user groups of allocated ice for
upcoming regular season
Review of the formula and allocations, and
possible additions or reductions will take place in
preparation for final disbursement of hours
Dates and Deadlines – Regular Season
 January 31 Adult teams and leagues will provide a
detailed list of number of registered
participants (from the previous year) and
the required ice time for the upcoming
season
 June 31
Fair and equitable distribution of ice time
(based on assumption of 14 players per
team) among Adult groups
All other requests:
In order to proportionally divide the allocated ice times
for other requests:
1.
All other requests will be provided to management in
a timely manner and will be prioritized in an equitable
ands fair manner as management determines.
2. Gender equity will be a priority in determining the
allocation of ice to other users.
Q and A