Monday January 27th, 2025, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Q: How many curling clubs are there where the City maintains the ice?
A: EYCC is the only curling facility whose iced shed is maintained by City staff. Tam Heather and Leaside were previously operated but are now Board-run curling clubs.
Q: What was the time between the brine being exposed to the ice to the time the Head Ice Technician arrived on site?
A: The Head Ice Technician on site approximately 8 to 9 hours after the brine leak occurred.
Q: How much time passed between the brine leak and the first flood in the ice shed?
A: After the leak occurred, no floods occurred until the following Saturday after the first repair attempt had been made. This was a partial flood rather than a full flood of the ice shed. After the partial sand removal, the entire ice shed was flooded multiple times between January 21st to 22nd.
Q: Is the City planning on removing all the sand? If so, what percentage of removal has been completed so far?
A: The City has begun the process of removing all sand from the ice shed. The Board has asked the City for an update on the timeline now that they have pivoted to this plan. Currently, they appear to have completed between 10 – 15% of the removal. The sand is wet, which makes it difficult to remove with vacuums and City staff are scooping it out with hand tools. Once the sand is dried, the process will pick up speed.
Up to date information will be posted regularly on the EYCC Closure Updates page and Board Announcements page. Check your inbox and spam folder for emails from the office, Board, and leagues.
Q: Is there a machine capable of removing the sand or must the work be done by hand?
A: We are not aware of a machine that can help in this process due to the delicate nature of the brine lines and connections. The City has committed to bringing in more hands as needed to get this completed.
Q: Are members allowed to volunteer to help remove the sand?
A: All work in the ice shed must be completed by City staff or contractors.
Q: How long does it typically take to install the ice in the fall?
A: Typically, the process takes between 6 to 7 weeks when summer temperatures and humidity make it much harder to make ice. As the weather is colder and drier, it is difficult to know how long it will take.
Q: In a normal season, we typically stop curling in early to mid-April. Is that because the weather affects being able to keep the ice in?
A: Keeping ice in and in playable condition in the spring is much more expensive and difficult to do. Recently, we have had a new roof, and solar panels installed which may make it easier to do but will still be more expensive than during the regular season.
Q: How much longer could the ice be kept in?
A: To date, this has not been tested but it is likely it could stay in until June.
Q: Who are the outside ice technicians that were brought in to provide feedback? What curling clubs were they from?
A: Several ice techs were consulted, from Royals and Leaside, about the situation. The first written report was completed by Dave Ellis from Brantford and the most recent report, which indicated all the sand should be removed, was written by Jason Leneeuw from Tam Heather. Offers to help from other ice technicians have been received and passed along to the City.
Q: How much of the repair process has been in line with what the ice technicians have recommended?
A: At the beginning of the repairs, the advice provided was not followed as the City proceeded forward with their own ice technicians recommended repairs process. After the partial removal of the sand was unsuccessful, the recommendations from the outside Ice Technicians have been more closely followed.
Q: Has it been investigated how the brine may have affected the side boards?
A: This was not mentioned in any of the reports from the ice technicians. The Board will ask the City if they have looked at this.
Q: Was an incident report and investigation into the root cause of the issue completed by the City?
A: To our knowledge, no incident report or investigation has been completed by the City.
Q: Is there any action the members can take to help expedite this process?
A: The Board has made the city councillors and provincial MP aware of the situation and pressure has been applied to the City to repair and reinstall the ice as quickly as possible. As the work proceeds and updates are received from the City, the Board will evaluate if there are any further steps that can be taken and what help we may need from the members.
Q: Does the Board have a cut-off date where we would opt not to resume curling? If not, when will this discussion happen?
A: That discussion will happen after we get an update from the City about the timeline. If it is further delayed, the Board will be looking at either not returning or possibly extending the season. If an extension of the season is being considered, the Board will form their decision with feedback from the membership, likely in the form of a survey about the preference to extend the season versus end on time.
Q: Does our arrangement with the City allow us to opt to not return to the ice even after installation is complete?
A: As a permit holder with the City, we can opt not to continue curling for this season by not requesting further permits. There would need to be discussions about whether we allow our rocks to be returned to the ice for use by outside groups permitted by the City.
Q: Does the City have a cut-off date where they will not proceed with reinstalling the ice?
A: The City is moving forward with the repairs as quickly as possible and has not communicated a cut-off date. Once an update to the timeline is received, if there are any major changes, the Board will bring this forward for discussion.
Q: Is there a possibility that the City would opt to shut down the curling club permanently?
A: The City avoids shutting down any recreational facility so this is highly unlikely.
Q: Would the City consider ending the season now and putting in a concrete floor?
A: Replacing the concrete floor comes from the City’s capital projects budget while the repairs would come from a different budget or may be covered by insurance. The process to replace the concrete floor is quite lengthy and involves bids from engineers and contractors before the work even begins. This process started in the early spring of 2024 and work is set to start in the late spring of 2026.
Q: Has the Board discussed asking the City for compensation from the City for the impact of the closure?
A: The Club has paid permit fees for the month of January but not for the month of February. Typically, the City issues credits for cancelled permits, rather than refunds. The Board has not been able to determine the full financial impact on the Club to determine what additional compensation for damages might be requested. After the full scope of the impact and any sort of compensation to the Club is determined, the Board will look at what kind of compensation can be provided to members for lost ice time.
Q: Are any of the Club’s expenses, such as employee salaries, covered by insurance?
A: The Club’s insurance does not cover employee salaries, but we are looking into coverage for lost bar revenues. A claim will not be submitted until the Board can weigh the amount being recouped versus potential increase in insurance costs over the next few years.
Q: Does the Board have a plan to improve the reputation of the Club and retain members for next season?
A: The Board has communicated concerns about the impact that an extended closure has on our membership and the reputation of the club in an effort to have the City act quickly to resolve it.
Q: Before this incident, we were having issues with our ice which was known by curlers around the city and province. Does the Club have plans to take over the ice maintenance or have the Head Ice Technician replaced?
A: The club has no authority over decisions involving staffing or operation of the ice shed. However, discussions for the club to take over operation of the ice shed have been happening informally for many years. Last summer, the Board presented the City with a written proposal, and in late November met with the City’s Business Services team to discuss a possible path forward. Until then, the City retains full control of the ice shed and staff.
Q: Is the Club considering becoming Board-Run?
A: The Board has expressed an interest to the City, in pursuing a lease agreement that would effectively make the club responsible for operating the building and ice shed. Discussions are in progress, but there is a lot of work to be done on both sides to ensure that any agreement meets the requirements of the City, and is manageable for the club.
Q: Would a letter writing campaign from the members assist in moving forward with a lease agreement to run the curling club?
A: Currently, the Club has the support we need from the local councillors and the City. If that changes, the Board will look at what the members can do to help apply pressure in a way that will have the greatest impact.
Q: Recently, the City has reported that CUPE Local 79 may strike. Will this strike affect the East York Curling Club?
A: The City staff are CUPE Local 79 members. Any strike action will include the ice technicians.
