Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Jasper Municipal Council received a letter from a community member concerned about violence during Jasper Hockey League (JHL) games held at the local arena.
This comes after a fight broke out on the ice during Super Sunday on March 12.
鈥淎s a concerned parent and spectator, I have witnessed three specific incidents of violence during these games that would be considered assault outside the context of hockey,鈥� the letter stated.
鈥淭he type of violence that I have seen this year is simply unacceptable and poses a significant risk to the well-being of both players, refs, spectators, community, public facilities, and the kids who look up to the people on the ice,鈥� the letter added.
鈥淚 think it goes without saying what type of message we are sending to our kids growing up in this sport.鈥�
The letter offered suggestions on how council could address this problem and emphasized that most JHL players are playing 鈥渋n the right spirit of the game.鈥�
The full letter can be found in
During council鈥檚 regular meeting on March 21, Coun. Wendy Hall reported that the JHL had given out several suspensions 鈥� ranging from four to 12 games 鈥� to the players involved in the recent incident.
Next season, the league will be reviewing penalties in general.
鈥淚 was also at that game, and it was pretty rowdy, and it was unfortunate because the last five, 10 minutes really overshadowed the whole fun vibe,鈥� Hall said.
Coun. Ralph Melnyk noted that reinforcing 鈥渢hat aspect of fun, respect, good sportsmanship at all levels, it would probably be a good way to start the next season.鈥�
Mayor Richard Ireland stated that council shouldn鈥檛 waste the courage that had been shown to bring this matter to the table.
鈥淚 regret to say that whatever incident brought this to our attention from Super Sunday does not appear to be a one-off,鈥� Ireland said.
鈥淭here have been issues through this year and previous years of what I think is an improper emphasis on physicality, and it may be a physical game, but the women seem to play it with a whole lot more discipline, including at the international [level].
鈥淎nd if we are going to rent our facility, I think that it is within our power to require the league to demonstrate that they have a code of conduct and that they will adhere to it.鈥�
He added how responsibility rested with not just the league but also sponsors, the teams themselves and spectators who cheer at such behaviour.
Council accepted the letter as information and directed administration to return to a future council meeting with suggestions on how the municipality can contribute to better outcomes.
Paid parking
Council decided to expand the paid parking to several new areas this season.
The paid parking zone will include Connaught Drive between Hazel Avenue and the 700-block residential area, as well as the off-street parking lot near Nesters and on-street parking on the 200-block of Connaught Drive.
Coun. Helen Kelleher-Empey noted that the later change would make the parking situation equal between the two grocery stores.
Oversized vehicles will still get free parking in the Nesters lot, while the charge is to be determined for electric vehicles. There will also be 15-minute zones.
Council then moved to convert the upper McCready Centre parking lot to resident parking only.
Coun. Scott Wilson opposed the motion, saying the new parking area wouldn鈥檛 be well utilized since residents already had free parking in town.
Coun. Rico Damota, however, noted that making this lot free for everyone could hurt revenue in the nearby paid parking zone.
鈥淢y other point of thought is that it would alleviate some residential pressure in the commercial area, and it may be more about communication, so we鈥檙e encouraging residents to go, particularly those who have eight-hour shifts or longer in the downtown core,鈥� Damota said.
Council also decided to increase the parking lot hourly rate to $2.50 per hour, the on-street parking rate to $3.50 per hour and the parking lot daily rate to $15.
During last week鈥檚 committee of the whole meeting, council members discussed the importance of having a differential rate between the lots and on-street parking as well as increasing parking revenue to help out the municipality鈥檚 finances.
Wilson said it was premature to raise rates when paid parking only started last year.
Mayor Ireland noted that while concerns had been raised about paid parking, he had heard none about the actual rates, which were often lower than those in other jurisdictions.
鈥淓ven though I might have preferred to make fewer changes overall, this is not one that I would oppose,鈥� Ireland said.
