Community rink’s closure for movie shoot draws icy reaction from Hockey Winnipeg

Hockey Winnipeg says a movie shoot in January at Southdale Community Centre will have a significant impact on ice time.

Hockey Winnipeg is warning parents of a significant disruption to ice times at a city rink next month.

The organization, along with the St. Boniface Minor Hockey Association and the Hockey Winnipeg High Performance Council, released a statement Wednesday noting that Southdale Community Centre will be closed to accommodate a movie shoot in January.

The facility’s west rink will close from Jan. 3 to 23, while the east rink will be closed from Jan. 12 to16.

While not opposed to the centre being used as a filming location, Hockey Winnipeg’s statement said the decision was made “without regard for the significant impact on community sport programming,” saying the closures will have an impact on junior hockey games, figure skating events and learn to skate programs.

“We strongly urge all involved parties to reconsider the filming timeline to one that is far less disruptive,” the statement reads. “In publicly funded community centres, youth sports and community programs should not be displaced for private enterprise.”

In the statement, Hockey Winnipeg said the closures will result in the loss of 100 hours of scheduled activities, including 85 hours of ice time during the peak of the winter season.

The organization said all games can be relocated and scheduled to other arenas, but practice time and development programs cannot be easily rescheduled. Some games will need to be played outside of St. Boniface and potentially in facilities “not equipped to support competitive play,” the statement said.

The organization added it shared concerns with the Southdale Community Centre about the decision.

CTV News has reached out to Ian McArton, Hockey Winnipeg’s executive director, for further comment, and is awaiting a response.

The Southdale Community Centre declined to comment on the matter.