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Confirming city's role in Jr. A hockey

Mayor Craig Copeland confirmed that although council will support a Jr. A hockey team coming to Cold Lake, they won't be funding it. During the City of Cold Lake council meeting on Tuesday, Feb.
City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland explains the role the city will play in bringing a Jr. A hockey team to Cold Lake during their regular council meeting on Tuesday, Feb.
City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland explains the role the city will play in bringing a Jr. A hockey team to Cold Lake during their regular council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Mayor Craig Copeland confirmed that although council will support a Jr. A hockey team coming to Cold Lake, they won't be funding it.

During the City of Cold Lake council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, city resident Murray Gauthier asked Copeland what the plan was once a Jr. A team was here.

“My question to council, is how much commitment is the city financially going to be involved with this team, if any? The reason I'm asking, obviously, is because of our Jr. B program that we've had for over a number of years. The city has had to help them. Are we going to be in the same situation as this Jr. A team?” he asked.

Copeland said the Western Provinces Hockey Association (WPHA) is different than the average Jr. A team, simply because it's a pay-to-play league.

“In this case, mom and dad are paying, versus the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL).”

Similar to how they work with the Cold Lake Jr. B Ice, the city will have an ice user agreement in place.

“It's going to be similar negotiations that we have with the Jr. B and any other entity that would come into the city. The city wouldn't own a team, we would just have a user agreement with that group,” expressed Copeland.

Gauthier wondered if the Cold Lake Ice would be affected by a shift in sponsorship, such as funding from the boards around the rink, and whether or not they will lose any of the support they currently have.

Copeland explained, “The rink boards help offset the debt on the arena. That money goes to the city.”

When the time comes, the city will sit down with both teams to discuss their user agreements.

Each team is responsible for their own fundraising. With the new rink on the horizon, there will be more opportunities for teams to raise money right at the Energy Centre.

Copeland stressed, “The city won't be paying for a team.”

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