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Curling club asks city to start paying its insurance and water costs

The building is owned by the city but operated by volunteers and the number of members has declined over the past five years.
2018 manitoba games curling file photo
The Burntwood Curling Club, which last hosted a provincial tournament in 2018, when the Manitoba Games were in Thompson, will host the master’s provincials next March, but the board says rising utility and insurance costs are straining the club’s finances.

The volunteers who run the Burntwood Curling Club say that rising utility and insurance costs, along with declining membership, are putting it in a precarious financial position.

Board president Sam Antila appealed to council at the Aug. 15 committee of the whole meeting to take responsibility for paying the insurance and water bills for the club.

The building is owned by the city but the curling leagues and other activities are run by volunteers and a few staff members.

If the city cannot stop charging the club for insurance and water, or at least for insurance — the club is $40,000 behind on paying the insurance — Antila said the board may be forced to turn over operations of the club to the city.

“Quite frankly, the last point is probably not one that you guys really want and I know that we don’t really want that either. There may be other options but those are the possible outcomes that we’ve considered or we’ve thought about,” Antila said.

Built in 1978, the club has played host to various provincial tournaments, most recently the Manitoba Games in 2018, and is due to host the master’s provincial championship in March 2023. That event could bring over 100 participants, officials and spectators to Thompson over a five-day period, said Antila, bringing in $100,000 to Thompson businesses. Based on the formula that was used to calculate the financial impact of the 2018 Manitoba Games, Antila said that translates into $400,000 of economic activity generated by the event.

According to a presentation Antila made, the amount the club is charged for its portion of the city’s insurance, which is purchased through the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, is more than 50 per cent higher than quotes for the building from private insurers.

Unfortunately, said city manager Anthony McInnis, the city can’t just cherry pick certain facilities to be insured through other means.

Coun. Les Ellsworth says that, although he is not a curler himself, the city needs facilities like the club, especially right now when it doesn’t have a pool. He said the city and the club need to work together to find an acceptable solution to the club’s financial dilemma. Having the city take over operations of the club, he said, is a non-starter.

“I’ll say that loud and clear,” said Ellsworth. “It’s not an option.”

The club, which is housed in a building constructed in 1978, has not had a formal agreement with the city since 2018, when the last 20-year agreement expired. Discussions had begun but were derailed the by the COVID-19 pandemic and have been slow to start back up.

The city and the club will talk about their options, says Mayor Colleen Smook.

“We will definitely have further discussions on this,” she said.

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