Our community in West Kelowna is passionate about ice sports. Local associations, however, are struggling to expand and develop due to a lack of facilities and available ice time. The growing interest in female hockey adds to this dearth – we lack both the necessary facilities and time slots to accommodate female-only teams without having to impact existing ones.

Moreover, senior skating groups such as the Ogopogo Skate club, are being squeezed, forced to ration ice time among their members. This often results in members receiving only once-a-week skating opportunities. Simultaneously, other sporting associations like Minor Hockey and Ringette find themselves having to share ice time for practice sessions.

The situation is becoming untenable, and it is clear that something needs to be done – and soon. A new ice rink would be the answer to many of these problems, providing the necessary facilities for all these groups to thrive and reducing conflicts over scheduling.

We must act now to keep the spirit of ice sports alive in West Kelowna for future generations, promote healthy and active lifestyles among our members, and nurture the whole spectrum of talent and interest we have in our community. Please sign this petition to support the construction of an additional ice skating rink in West Kelowna.