Decision on downtown ice rink deferred as council grapples with $6M budget hike

City council will decide at its next meeting if it will move forward with the first segment of the multi-phased civic esplanade project, which is now $6 million over budget.

Administration says that it will now cost $15 million to build the first phase, which includes an outdoor ice rink that can transition into a splash pad or water fountain in warmer months.

Council was urged by staff to approve an increase to the $9.3-million budget on Monday but elected instead to defer the decision to its next meeting.

West-end councillor Fabio Costante questioned why the report was a late addition to the agenda and after reviewing the report now says council should reconsider the project.

"As budgets increased considerably, facts have changed considerably andI think we need to have a thoughtful discussion and engage the public," said Costante.

Commissioner of community services Ray Mensour said that the approval process was rushed to council because key pieces of information related to the report were received last week.

Mensour said that council needs to make a decision on the request as soon as possible if it wants to move forward with the rink in time for the upcoming winter.

"We needed it approved today to ensure that we have the opportunity to have the ice rink completed and ready for this season. This is the reason for rushing the report," said Mensour.

"It couldn't be deferred two weeks?" replied Costante.

"For us to have the rink ready for the year, we wouldn't be able to delay it."

This outdoor rink would be built in front of City Hall and replace the rink that once operated at Charles Clark Square.

Administration stated in its report that over a 14-year period, the number of weeks outdoor rinks can operate each yearhas dropped by threeweeks on average because of climate change.

"Climate change has created different types of winters now where the actual timelines to use outdoor ice rinks have considerably shrunk," said Costante.

"You've got the timeline shrinking, the cost ballooning and you've got the substitute amenity, which is free ice skating (at city rinks), that I think will show has been proven popular and so with all that taking into account, we should reconsider this project, at least in the interim."

Where the money would come from

If council approvedthe recommendations in the report, the money would be pulled from three separate budgets.

The biggest chunk at $3.2 million would be pulled from the 2025 Canada Community-Building Fund, which the city uses the bulk of to pay for road work and transit projects.

The Corporate Inflation Mitigation budget would pay for $2.3 million and the remaining $576,055 would come from the Tourism Infrastructure, Development and Program fund.

Mayor Drew Dilkens sees the projectas a centrepiece of the civic esplanade, comparing it to the Campus Martius space in the core of Detroit.

"We understand that there are overages in capital budgets, which is why council approved a capital inflation project budget line item to be able to handle these things," said Dilkens, who called the inflationary amounts in municipal projects "incredibly high."

He said that this will be up to council to decide while noting that council has spent money on consultants and architects for the project.

"I hope we all want this to look very, very nice as the first investment into our civic esplanade and I'm sure it will hit the mark when it comes back."

The item will head back to council at its next meeting.