Ski hills to remain in city's hands.
The city's executive committee has decided not to shut down city-run ski hills at Centennial Park in Etobicoke and Earl Bales Park in North York. Seen here in a file photo Alex Stojanovic prepares new bindings at Centennial Park's ski centre.
File photo/IAN KELSO
Toronto councillors say Toronto's public ski hills won't close, even though the city's attempt to sell the money-losing sites came up empty.
Staff decided the ski and snowboard centres in Etobicoke's Centennial Park and Earl Bales Park in North York should be shut down this winter and the city should try again to tempt potential private operators.
But at Monday's Executive Committee meeting, East York Councillor Janet Davis said the hills, despite a projected seasonal loss totalling $600,000, are "something we should not give away" because skiing and snowboarding are accessible there to low-income children and not just to "rich kids."
The committee unanimously passed her motion, which must be confirmed at Toronto council next week.
A report said the city's terms for private operators, none of whom made an offer to run either facility, "appear to have been too onerous."
Among other things, a business operating the hills would have to buy the city's equipment, address deficiencies in the condition of the hills and continue the city's deep discounts for low-income families registered under its Welcome Policy.
Joe Mihevc, a committee member, said he was happy the proposal call had not worked and hoped this would end the experiment of "contracting out" the city hills.
Even the conservative Doug Holyday of Etobicoke, though acknowledging $600,000 "is an awful loss," said he wanted to see the facilities saved.
Earlier, Anne Dembinksi, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 79, told the committee it would cost more, at least at first, to close the hills down than to keep them running.
The city had said it would compensate the Cittadelle Cafe Inc. at Earl Bales and Eastwood Le/Jardin Food Services Inc. at Centennial for ending their concession contracts early.
Saying the employees have done all they can to spread the word themselves, Dembinski added the city needs to do some "serious marketing" on convenient winter attractions many residents don't know exist.
"These centres could be sustainable and profitable even if they were given a minimal amount of promotion," she said.
Shelley Carroll, the city's budget chief, supported the reversal but warned there will be tremendous financial pressure on Toronto parks and recreational facilities next year.
What participants pay at the ski hills typically covers just salaries. Carroll warned the city needs a model for such facilities that will help them avoid "hitting the wall" on their operating costs.