Mccauley Rink
May 01, 2011
In 1999 there were plans to appropriate the full-size McCauley Community Hockey Rink (which is paved, allowing summer roller skating ball hockey), replacing it with rental housing by a social group intending to use “profits” from the “non-profit” housing to pay for social centre office space. Also proposed was to keep an ice rink so small as to be negligible - other than to deceive the community into believing that it would still have a hockey rink. As Member of Parliament I was appalled at this callous social-centric takeover attempt. I felt it was important to save the hockey rink as it is the only such facility in the area. However a social-centric group of 10 came to my office to threaten me that they would use all their social non-profit resources against me in the upcoming nomination and election. I don’t threaten well. I consulted with the community and they were aghast at losing the rink and spoke up. The social welfare project was cancelled and the rink was saved. Twelve years later the rink is still a community magnet in all seasons as skaters use it in cold weather and warm for skating, hockey and ball hockey.
One of the highlights of the rink year is the now annual McCauley Cup where beat officers from Edmonton Police Service’s Downtown Division take on McCauley community youth in a game of shinny. This gives area youth positive interaction with the police, is good for the children and the community as a whole. An event such as this allows stereotypes to be broken, for the benefit of the community.
I think facilities such as the McCauley rink are a treasure to all communities. We should be vigilant and rightfully suspicious of those that wish to appropriate such facilities.
What do you think?