A judge is hearing from the two sides involved in a dispute over Hockey Calgary’s plan to redraw its boundaries and reduce the number of minor hockey associations in the city.
A group of hockey parents filed a lawsuit in April challenging the authority of Hockey Calgary after the board redrew the boundaries, which would reduce the number of minor hockey associations in the city from 14 to 11 ahead of the 2019/2020 season.
Parents of the Calgary Saints Hockey Association say the lawsuit follows an unsuccessful attempt to reopen the conversation on boundaries through Hockey Calgary’s appeal process.
In May, Hockey Calgary’s plan was halted after a judge granted an injunction, giving the two sides until June 21st to resolve the issue.
Leonard Herchen’s 14-year-old son plays for the Saints and he says he is concerned about Hockey Calgary’s plans.
“The whole approach of Hockey Calgary was very high-handed. They simply declared the association that my family’s been with for eight years out of existence, against our association’s wishes, and they’re destroying a well-funded, well-organized association. And they my son’s been told he’s effectively been traded to a team that he’s been playing against for eight years and he wants to play for the team he’s with. That’s where his friends are and that’s where hi coaches have been,” he said.
Justice John McCarthy is hearing from both sides of the issue on Friday morning.
The lawyers representing the group of parents say the changes are oppressive because many of the families that would be affected don’t have the resources to travel across the city to their new associations.
Hockey Calgary is adamant the motivation for the changes is to level the playing field for all players. They say they didn’t take the decision lightly but after months of public consultation, moved forward with the support of most of its members.
There is no word on when a decision will be made.
(With files from Teri Fikowski)
