Joe Fontana is London's mayor-elect in a mild surprise. Kind of like the West London Hawks defeating one of the Junior Knights teams.
Fontana won largely by selling a promise he will be hard-pressed to keep - no increases in taxes. Given that much of the city budget goes to pay firefighters, police and other municipal workers, most of whom have contracts calling for annual raises, what does that mean for users of city services?
Think of groups such as minor hockey associations renting city-owned arenas. Think dramatically higher fees.
Minor hockey families in London should brace for this during the next four years as user fees and rental fees seem certain to skyrocket. That will result in higher minor hockey registration fees. It could mean fewer families playing hockey, which could lead to even higher fees for those who still want to play.
Most hockey fans would be shocked to learn how much it really costs to run arenas. In most communities, user groups are charged a fraction of the true price with taxpayers making up the difference.
It'll be interesting to see if London prices kids out of hockey during the next four years.
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