Cité-des-Jeunes Arena in Vaudreuil-Dorion
Photo credit: Noémie Florence Faubert
On June 19th at 7 PM, during the Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot (NDIP) city council meeting, a project that was anticipated by many came to fruition: the management of the Cité-des-Jeunes Arena by the municipality of Pincourt. This project is born from a collaboration between three of the four municipalities of Île-Perrot and Vaudreuil-Dorion. The objectives of this project are primarily focused on sports and culture-related goals.
The Deal
As mentioned by the mayor of NDIP, this is a service agreement between the implicated municipalities. This medium-term agreement implies that Vaudreuil-Dorion will acquire the arena for the next 25 years. During those 25 years, Pincourt and the two other Île-Perrot municipalities involved will pay a mortgage. Vaudreuil-Dorion remains the owner of the arena throughout this period. The mayor of NDIP stated that the cost of this transaction is not known since it has not been completed yet. Concerning revenues and costs, the NDIP mayor said it was a "zero cost project" that would not be financed through taxes. She later revealed that each city has a budget of around 20 million dollars and that the worst-case scenario would be a loss of $68 000.
A new Director
When the transaction between both parties is completed, a new position will open; Director of the Cité-des-Jeunes Arena. It will include a probation period, a possibility of replacement, and the implications of a municipal job.
Various Objectives
The mayor of NDIP announced that the first three to five years will be operation-focused and dedicated to using and managing the arena. She declared that the main goal of this project is to build on-island sport infrastructures such as arenas and pools for the Île-Perrot community during this three to five-year period. Buying the arena off-island is a strategy to impose political pressure toward this very goal, according to the mayor of NDIP.
Danie Deschênes, Mayor of NDIP
A positive outlook
The mayor of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot has a positive view of the project for the four municipalities in Île-Perrot.
"It's an interesting lever, which sets a goal to build future infrastructures on the island." - Danie Deschênes, Mayor of NDIP
Mrs. Deschênes believes that this collaboration between municipalities concerning the arena will benefit all the communities that use this arena.
"There is a possibility to increase sports and cultural use of the arena." - Danie Deschenes, Mayor of NDIP
She explained that this would allow more ice time for island residents while respecting the existing schedules and the organizations that use this rink. She also explained how Île-Perrot residents were already using this arena and that it was packed at all times when occupied by those municipalities.
A Difficult Question
During the period of questions, the first question asked by a citizen was:
"Is there a coach or someone associated with any sports organization on this council?"
To which the mayor replied that this project is for the benefit of the population and that there was no conflict of interest regarding this project. Then, she clarified that some hockey parents are in the city council, but no council member is affiliated with a sports association.
Sources: Ville de Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Danie Deschênes
(Updated on June 21st 2023)
