important. We’re restarting some programming and re-opening some recreation centres to create the spaces Windsor residents need to stay active and healthy.”

It seems peculiar for the Mayor to advocate for the resumption of winter recreational activities while the board at Roseland, a city-owned facility specifically designed to host one of Canada’s foremost winter sports, has decided not to open for curling.

It also seems perplexing that the same Roseland board chose to open the golf course in May while the city was still in Stage 2 of the provincial COVID recovery plan and data showed much higher levels of COVID in the local community than there are today when we are in Stage 3. As previously mentioned, Board Chair, Fred Francis, has consistently been quoted in the local media stating that their decision was strictly health and safety based. No-one plays golf and expects to contract COVID; nor do they expect to be hit by an errant golf ball. However, both are possible, yet the board opened the golf course. The same logic should be applied for curling.

It is also widely known that many other popular sports in Canada have resumed play throughout the City of Windsor, including golf, tennis, ice hockey, soccer, baseball, and bowling. Many everyday activities are also taking place: restaurants and bars, malls and shopping centers, doctor and dentist offices, schools and day cares are all currently operating under various restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID. Why can’t we curl?

An Alternative Arena Doesn’t Really Work

While we are generally very grateful that City Council is exploring the option to employ an alternative arena as a curling facility for the upcoming season, there are several reasons why this would not be practical.

• Without a tremendous amount of effort, ice hockey arenas could never replicate the ice surface required for curling.

• Existing arena ice maintenance crews would be unable to replicate the ice surface a trained ice technician could produce.

• The care and handling of the curling stones is of utmost importance as a single rock is very costly and matching stones is nearly impossible if damage was to occur.

• Would hosting curling at an alternative facility really provide a safer experience than could be provided at a facility where curling was designed to be played (i.e. at Roseland)?

You wouldn’t propose hosting soccer games on a baseball diamond or playing golf in a park. Why should we be asked to curl on a hockey rink?

Roseland is a Community Facility

The Roseland clubhouse has many names to many people. Some might see it as a too big or an eyesore. However, many people see Roseland as a crown jewel for Windsor – a storied facility that reminds us of history and past champions. Roseland is a community gathering place. It is a place to curl with friends on a winter day or grab something to eat or share a drink or maybe even commit yourself to your