Facility Booking and Ice Allocation Policy

Policy number: 2007-01

Effective date: June 25, 2007

Last revision date: May 16, 2022

On this page

1. Purpose
2. Policy
3. Definitions
4. Responsibilities 
5. References

1. Purpose

Haldimand County values, relies on and supports community partners to provide recreation programs and services for individuals in our community. The County is responsible for managing its recreational facilities in an equitable manner to meet current and future demands while also supporting community organizations in the delivery of programs.

2. Policy

The policy outlines facility booking guidelines to assist in consistency and efficiency with the rental of County recreational facilities. The policy will also establish formulas and standards that will help allocate minimum requirements of ice time to all users within the County. As well, the facility booking and ice allocation policy is intended to maximize the use of all County recreational facilities. Circumstances not addressed in this policy or exceptions to this policy will be addressed on a “case by case” basis by County staff with final authorization from the General Manager of Community and Development Services. 

Operating Principles

Haldimand County has the following operating principles:

• Excellent customer service
• Fair and consistent administration of this policy
• Customer focus/consultation and support for user groups
• Accessibility of services to all
• Safety standards maintained, and
• Responsible fiscal management

Seasonal Allocation Priorities

Haldimand County programs and rentals will be scheduled in County facilities in the following order:

• County Programs – (These programs are being offered to ensure that opportunities exist for all residents to utilize these public facilities. It is not the intention of the County to duplicate the programming of any other community group.)
• Tournaments or Special Events
• Regular User Sport Group:
  • Youth groups
  • Recreational youth groups within the County
  • Adult regular users and leagues within the County
  • Youth Skills Development Programs
• All other County user groups or residents
• Non-resident groups and individuals

Open Time

Available rental time is scheduled on a “first come, first served” basis after seasonal requests are finalized.

County Facilities

Haldimand County owns and operates the following facilities available for rental:

• arenas (including ice pads and community rooms)
• outdoor pools
• ball diamonds
• park spaces and amenities

This Policy only applies to those facilities that the County rents out to the public.

Booking Requirements

Failure to comply with any of the booking requirements may result in the immediate cancellation of the permit or future permits for the applicant or event.

• All facility rentals must be made through the County Facility Booking Clerk and applicants must complete a Facility Rental Application for each rental.
• Once an application has been reviewed and a permit created, the rental is considered firm and subject to the cancellation restrictions in this Policy.
• Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age, and all rentals require that a representative of the applicant who is 18 years of age or older be onsite during the rental. Rentals with approved alcohol require the applicant to be a minimum of 19 years of age.
• Organizations may provide a maximum of two (2) individual contacts with the authority to book or amend a rental permit. 
• Applicants are not permitted to sublet any facility to another person or organization. If an applicant wishes to reschedule a rental with another person or organization they must contact the Facility Booking Clerk to make these arrangements. 
• The Facility Booking Clerk will prepare a permit outlining the rental details. The permit must be signed by the applicant and returned by the date specified by the Facility Booking Clerk. Failure to return the signed permit will result in access to facilities being denied.
• The applicant shall be personally responsible for any costs resulting from damages caused by accidents, negligence or malicious damage to any part of the facility and/or equipment therein by any person or persons connected with the function. Additional charges will be applied to the permit for excessive clean-up and will be invoiced directly to the permit holder. Future rentals may require damage deposits.
• For staffing reasons, minimum booking times (i.e. four (4) consecutive hours minimum per day for ice rentals and arena floor) or other restrictions may be set for any of the County facilities.
• Community rooms in arenas are only available for rental when the facility is otherwise open for ice/or floor rentals.
• Facilities will not be scheduled for use on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, the facilities will not be scheduled for use after 3:00 p.m. Rentals on the remaining statutory holidays will be considered when the minimum hours booked is four (4) hours, as outlined above.

Insurance/Legal Requirements

All renters must provide a valid Certificate of Insurance to the County showing proof of $2,000,000 (two million dollars) in general liability insurance from an insurer licensed to conduct business in the Province of Ontario, the County must be named as an additional insured on the policy or purchase this coverage through the Facility Users Insurance Program.

Rental Rates

• Fees and rental rates are established through User Fees and Service Charges By-law and approved by Haldimand County Council. Staff do not have authorization to amend any Council-approved rates.
• Fees and rates are effective May 1st of each year.
• Where facilities are available, rental rates for youth groups will be waived for the arena halls/rooms provided it has been pre-booked and the facility is open for a paid rental. If another rental request for the arena hall is received more than seven (7) days prior to the booking, the user group will have the opportunity to rent the room at the current applicable rental fee, reschedule or cancel their booking.
• All other seasonal ice users will have use of the community rooms, when available, at no charge for the duration of the ice rental.  Additional hours, if requested, will be charged at regular rates.  Serving of alcohol is permitted up to one (1) hour after an ice rental is complete, but no later  than 1:00 a.m. Users will be required to vacate the premises one (1) hour after the serving of alcohol has ceased.
• Free room rentals associated with tournaments and special events will not be required to pay, reschedule or cancel if a paid rental request is received.
• Special event set-up time for “seasonal ice users” will be no charge on the day of an event or one day prior. For any set-up time used in excess of this limit, the applicable fee or rate will apply.

Uses Not Permitted

• Events commonly known as “stag & does” are not permitted on the arena floors or in the arena community rooms.
• Haldimand County reserves the right to disallow rentals if the rental jeopardizes public safety, permits discrimination or violates municipal, provincial or federal laws or regulations.

Payment Terms

(Payment Terms are in effect until Accounts Receivable Policy is established and approved by Council.)

• All payment terms must be consistent with County-approved processes and policies.
• Seasonal user groups must make payments as per the instalments outlined on the facility rental permit.
• The following applies to applicants with permits that indicate charges are due on the last day of the month. For example:
  • A balance due November 30th but not paid within thirty (30) days (i.e. by the end of December); will have interest charges applied on account on January 1 and a statement will be issued.
  • If the balance due is not then paid within ten (10) days (by January 10th), services will be discontinued.
  • If the balance due remains unpaid thirty (30) days after the statement is issued (i.e. end of January), the permit will be cancelled and, as per the User Fees and Service Charges By-law:
    • The balance due including interest for an applicant will be applied to the property taxes of the individual who assumed personal responsibility for the permit if they own property in the County, and if not, it will be sent to collections.
    • The balance due for a Minor or Junior sports association will be sent to collections.
• Prior to the start of a season, all Seasonal User Group accounts will be reviewed. If an account has not remained in good standing in the prior year, the group may be required to prepay monthly for future bookings.
• In the event that an applicant experiences unforeseen financial difficulties, the applicant will have the opportunity to discuss the issue(s) with the Manager of Community Development & Partnerships to develop an agreement in regards to future rentals.
• Future rentals will not be permitted for any applicant with an overdue account until their account is current or they have developed an agreement with the Manager of Community Development & Partnerships. (This includes any balances that were transferred to taxes or collections.)
• In order to provide sufficient time to amend the facility schedule, accounts that require prepayment will need to be paid a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to each month’s rentals. For example, the payment for rentals for the month of October would be due by September 1st.
• All other users must sign a firm rental permit and make payment a minimum of ten (10) business days prior to the rental. If booking is made with less than ten (10) business days’ notice, a signed permit and payment are due immediately.

Cancellation and Rescheduling of Rentals

• Permits may be amended by the County for emergencies, required maintenance and/or unsafe facility conditions.
• Ice time is reserved, not guaranteed, and the County retains the right to adjust, cancel, withdraw or reschedule any and all allocated ice time. This will be necessary only in the in case of an emergency or unforeseen circumstance. All reasonable efforts will be made to advise affected groups as early as possible.
• Organizations that do not comply with other policies as established through the County (i.e.  Public Conduct on Haldimand County Property) may have their permit cancelled.
• In the event of inclement weather, facility rental permits will be honoured when the facility remains open.
• Arena users may choose to cancel their rentals if they deem weather conditions make it unsafe to attend and the applicable rental fees will be removed from their account. Where possible, users should contact the Facility Booking Clerk during business hours to cancel. After hours, the facility staff should be contacted directly and the Facility Booking Clerk advised by the next business day in order for the credit to be applied. If the facility is closed, applicants are given the option of receiving a refund, credit or rescheduling the rental. Applicants are responsible for notifying their participants if the facility is closed.
• Cancellation of outside facility rentals (i.e. ball diamonds or parks) due to inclement weather, the Facility Booking Clerk must receive notification no more than five (5) business days after the rental. If proper notice is not provided, regular rental charges will apply.
• If an applicant wishes to reschedule a rental, they must contact the Facility Booking Clerk to make these arrangements. Rescheduling will be considered on a “case by case” basis and approval is not guaranteed due to advanced scheduling and availability of staff. A rescheduled booking must take place within the same booking season as the original booking.

Staffed Indoor Facilities

• Cancellations and rescheduling will be subject to operational requirements such as maintaining minimum rental hours and avoiding large gaps in scheduling.
• Tournaments and Special Events will be subject to a cancellation fee equal to 20% of the rental charges; this will apply to bookings cancelled with a minimum of thirty (30) days’ notice.  Cancellations are not permitted with less than thirty (30) days’ notice.
• For all other rentals, a cancellation fee equal to 20% of the rental charges will apply to bookings cancelled with a minimum five (5) business days’ notice (not including date of booking). Cancellations are not permitted with less than five (5) days’ notice.
• After February 15th, all seasonal Minor and Junior sport ice users are permitted to cancel ice rentals with no fee. Notice of at least five (5) business days (not including date of booking) must be provided to the Facility Booking Clerk regarding these cancellations, in order for a credit to apply. If proper notice is not provided, regular rental charges will apply.
• Following a cancellation by a Youth Group, groups scheduled on the same day may have the opportunity to re-adjust their scheduled time in an effort to create staffing efficiencies. In this situation, additional fees will not be applied to an amended permit.

Staffed Outdoor Facilities

• Pool rentals will be subject to a cancellation fee equal to 20% of the rental charges, provided a minimum of five (5) days’ notice is provided. Cancellations are not permitted with less than five (5) days’ notice.

Non-Staffed Facilities

• Park facilities (i.e.: picnic shelters, gazebos, etc.) will be subject to a cancellation fee equal to 20% of the rental charges, provided a minimum of thirty (30) days’ notice is provided. Cancellations are not permitted with less than thirty (30) days’ notice.
• Notice of cancellations for ball diamond rentals must be provided to the Facility Booking Clerk five (5) business days prior to the rental. If proper notice is not provided, regular rental charges will apply.

Tournaments and Special Events

• Tournaments and Special Events and outdoor tournaments held on County property requiring regulatory approvals for activities such as alcohol, tents, etc. fall under the Special Events Approval Guidelines and may require a separate application and approval process.
• Serving or selling of food and beverages or services must also be approved by the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit.

Joint Use Agreements

 A Joint Use Agreement allows School Boards to use County facilities free of charge or at a reduced rate during school hours, provided no other users are renting the facility. In return, Haldimand County and affiliates may use school facilities free of charge or at a reduced rate for their programs.

• Haldimand County programs will not be cancelled for tournaments booked in conjunction with joint use agreements.
• School Boards will be charged the non-prime rate for cancelled and/or rescheduled facility bookings unless a minimum three (3) business days’ notice has been provided.

Arena Ice

Prime Time Ice is defined as follows:

• Monday to Friday (5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
• Saturday and Sunday (7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)
• Statutory Holidays (24 hours/all day) – requires a four (4) hour minimum booking; refers to all recognized statutory holidays.

Non-prime Time Ice is defined as the remaining time that the arena is open.

Ice Hour

• One hour of ice is defined as fifty (50) minutes in length plus a ten (10) minute flood. 
• An hour-and-a-half (1.5 hours) equates to eighty (80) minutes of ice time and a ten (10) minute flood time.
• Haldimand County may create mixes of ice time activity and flood time that would accommodate the user and still maintain the excellent quality and condition of the ice.

Allocation Time Lines

Haldimand County Programs

• Haldimand County has a responsibility to all tax payers and therefore supports the equal availability of ice time within the community. Programs will be available at all of the arenas and shall have access to the arena during prime time as they are a priority for the community.

Seasonal Ball Allocation

• All requests due by March 15th.
• Firmed permits will be created by April 15th, to be signed and returned by April 30th.

Special events and new tournament requests will be considered on a “case by case” basis.

These events may require a Special Event Application.

Fall/Winter Ice (mid-August-March) 

All requests due by April 15th;

• Preseason (mid-August to September Ice) Permits
  • Firmed by August 1st, signed and returned by August 10th.
• October-March Ice Permits
  • Firmed by September 15th; signed and returned by September 30th.

Spring Ice (April-May)

• All requests due by February 1st.
  • Firmed permits by March 1st; signed and returned by March.

Seasonal Ice Allocation

• Haldimand County is responsible for calculating each regular user group’s ice allocation (including figure skating, minor sport organizations (ringette, minor hockey), junior hockey, adult hockey and other structured leagues/organizations) as ice time is requested, on an annual basis utilizing the formulas in this policy.
• In order to provide for a fair and “balanced allocation” of prime time ice between user groups, it is recommended as a working principle that adults be assigned priority for prime time after 10:00 p.m.
• Whenever possible, community user groups will be allocated ice at the arena that denotes their affiliation.
• All regular user sport groups will be required to absorb non-prime time in order to ensure that all groups have an equal share in prime time ice. This percentage of reduction would be calculated after the base allocation formula has been calculated.
• Hours returned from original allotments will be offered according to the seasonal allocation priorities.

Historical Ice Allocation Precedent

• Preference in the allocation system will be given to established regular users, which have had a seasonal permit up to a minimum of two (2) years previous.
• New users will be considered within the allocation system provided that sufficient ice time is available. However, accommodating new groups at the expense of the existing groups will be considered only in cases where a program is being introduced into the area for the first time and no other program of this nature is available. Haldimand County encourages new recreational opportunities, especially to the under-serviced segments of the population.
• The development of new programs or the expansion of existing programs into other areas should be encouraged to be extensions of organizations already established (i.e. creating umbrella organizations).
• Historical users may be required to accommodate the expansion of other users. Necessary consultation will take place with all associated parties.
• When a conflict arises between Tournament and Special Event requests, and historical precedent cannot be used to clearly determine the allocation of ice time, the seasonal allocation priorities will be used as the final determining factor.

Tournaments and Special Events

• Haldimand County supports Tournaments and Special Events. Priority will be given to these activities and they will be scheduled in the ice allocation calendar first (after County Programs have been scheduled). Public Skates will not be cancelled during Adult Tournaments; rescheduling may be possible. Public skates may be cancelled for  Youth Tournaments and Special Events.
• Existing tournaments as of the 2019/2020 ice season will be grandfathered based on existing dates. The tournaments grandfathered are as follows:

• The Expansion of existing tournaments to additional facilities and any new Tournament/Special Event applications will be considered on a “case by case” basis.
• In the event that a grandfathered tournament is not held for two (2) consecutive years, historical precedent will no longer apply. The request to book a Tournament after an absence of two (2) or more years will be considered a new application and will be considered on a “case by case” basis.
• The first sixty (60) Tournament hours requested will not impact the user groups’ seasonal allocation of ice. Additional hours will be deducted from allotments, after excluding hours that would have normally been held by the group and any weekday non-prime hours. This would be based on the previous season’s weekly ice schedule.
• All tournament permits (arena ice, floor or ball diamond) must be firmed at least thirty (30) days prior to the tournament.

Allocation Formula

• Haldimand County will calculate each regular user’s “base ice allocation” from a formula. This base allocation will be the minimum ice time to be allotted for the organization prior to any re-allocating of surplus ice hours. This calculation will be based upon registration data gathered from their previous year and applied to a formula that denotes a standard for each of the teams, age groups, levels, house leagues or travel teams.
• Once base allocation has been determined for each minor sport organization, their entitlement will be distributed with 95% in prime time and 5% in non-prime time hours.
• Data verification may be required through the governing body.
• Figure skating – number of participants per program.
• Minor hockey/ringette – number of participants per program or number of teams per division.
• Where fall winter user groups experience significant changes and require a variation in ice time based on the initial request, these will be treated as exceptions and will be dealt with, pending available ice time. Changes must be identified to the Facility Booking Clerk by July 1st.

Ice Allocation Formula for Minor Hockey & Ringette

• The formula for allocating hours to minor hockey and ringette organizations will standardize the number of participants per team and the number of games and practices per week. In these calculations, all time allocation will be rounded to the nearest half-hour.

Teams are divided into either house league teams, local league teams or travel teams (Rep – Major and Minor). The age groupings are defined as follows:

The ice allocation formulas that will be used to calculate ice time entitlement have been updated as follows:

Local League Hockey

U5: Development - 1 hour/30 participants

U6-U7: 1 x 60 minute shared ice game and 1 x 60 minute shared ice practice/week

U8-U13: 1 x 60-minute game, 1 shared ice 60-minute practice/week

U15-U21: 1 x 75-minute game, 1 60 minute practice/week

Other: 1 hour/week will be allocated to accommodate the on ice set-up now required for the U5 and u6-U7 age groups where applicable

Rep Hockey

U10-U11: 1 x 70 minute game, 1 x 70 minute practice/week

U12-U15: 1 x 75 minute game, 1 x 75 minute practice/week

U16: 1 x 85 minute game, 1 x 85 minute practice/week

U18-U21: 1 x 90 minute game, 1 x 90 minute practice/week

Ringette (All LL)

FUN1: Development - 1 hour/30 participants

FUN2: Development - 1 hour/30 participants

U7-U18: 1 x 60 minute game, 1 shared ice 60 minute practice/week

U21: 1 x 60 minute game/week (no practice)

*Note: time for game/practice includes 10 minute flood.

Junior Teams 

A team will have six (6) hours allocated.

Adult Groups/Leagues

• A group will have one (1) hour allocated.
• A league will have one (1) hour allocated per 2 teams.

Ice Allocation Formula for Figure Skating

Pre CanSkate & CanSkate: 1 hour/30 participants/week

Pre Star Skate and Star Skate Junior: 3 hours allocated/week

Star Skate Senior: 4 hours allocated/week

Pre Power, Power levels 1 – 2, Power levels 3 - 6: 1 hour/25 participants/week

Ice Allocation Formula for Special Groups

• Special interest groups provide excellent recreational activity for residents and also require facility time. An example of such a group in the County would be the Haldimand Curling Club.
• The Haldimand Curling Club requires a block of time at one arena. The number of players and the category of their play have no bearing on the ice allocation. The amount of allocation would be fixed to the numbers of hours required to attract membership and allow the Arena staff to set up for the program. In addition, preparation time is required and this should be, requested and scheduled. The rental fee charged will be based only on hours used.

Conflict Resolution

Conflicts that arise during the ice allocation process will be evaluated by the Facility Booking Clerk.  The conflicts identified will be shared with the groups affected.  Individual discussion will occur between the Facility Booking Clerk and each user group to find a resolution to the situation. The Facility Booking Clerk will act as a mediator to monitor the discussions. In the event that no resolution can be reached with mediation, each group will submit in writing the rationale for the requirements of the conflicted ice time. Along with the information provided, consideration will be given to the following factors:

• The success in which the user group ice time requests have been met, apart from the ice request in conflict;
• Sport(s) requirements for the groups involved including requirements of the governing sports bodies and logistics involved;
• User group historical ice allocation;
• The age of the user groups as it relates to the period of ice time in conflict; and,
• In the event that the conflict cannot be resolved, the final decision will fall to the CDP Division.

3. Definitions

3.1 The Corporation of Haldimand County: Referred to as the “Corporation” or “the County”.

3.2 “Adult League”: three (3) or more teams.

3.3 “Applicant”: To enter into a rental permit, the applicant must be:

1. a designated representative of a recognized Minor or Junior sports association;
2. legal entity or corporation; or
3. an individual who assumes personal responsibility for the permit.

3.4 “County Programs”: Defined as programs offered by Haldimand County.

3.5 “Home Arena”: Where the majority of seasonal hours are scheduled.

3.6 “Non-resident”: Applicant or organization that reside or are based outside of Haldimand County.

3.7 “Recreational Youth Group”: All other groups where the majority of participants are youth (17 and under). Applies only to Haldimand County residents.

3.8 “Regular User Sport Group”: Resident or non-resident sport organizations that rent facilities on a weekly basis for their applicable sport season.

3.9 “Resident”: Applicant or organization where the majority of its members reside that reside Haldimand County.

3.10 “Seasonal User Group”: Resident or non-resident applicants that rent facilities on a weekly basis for a season.

3.11 “Tournament/Special Event”: An event defined as one or more consecutive days.

3.12 “Youth Group”: Minor and Junior Sports organizations affiliated with a recognized resident sport association.                              

3.13 “Youth Skills Development Programs”: Commercial youth programs for minor sport skill development.

4. Responsibilities

4.1 Haldimand County is responsible for calculating each regular user group’s ice allocation including figure skating, minor sports organizations (ringette, girl’s hockey and minor hockey), junior hockey, adult hockey and other structured leagues/organizations as ice time is requested, on an annual basis.

5. References 

5.1 Accountability and Transparency Policy No. 2007-05

5.2 Facility Booking and Ice Allocation Policy No. 2007-01

5.3 For the Sake of Sport Policy No. 2003-08

5.4 Parks and Recreation Ontario – Affordable Access Policy Framework

5.5 Parks and Recreation Ontario – Affordable Access Best Practices

Municipal Benchmarking – Facility Allocation Policies