Toronto mom behind girls’ hockey league scores public ice time but says change needed | CBC News

A tween girls’ hockey league launched by a Toronto mother will have access to prime ice time on city-run rinks after taking their struggle public, but there’s still much to be done to improve access, she says. 

Over the weekend, Amy Laski, who founded the group, told CBC Toronto the league’s existence was in jeopardy due to a lack of access to public rinks, saying higher demand time slots are often given to legacy leagues with which the city has contracts, leaving leagues like hers with “leftover” ice time instead.

“Why shouldn’t our girls have equal access to prime-time ice?” she asked. “If we’re ever going to have girls, or other minority groups, play hockey, we have to start re-distributing the ice.”

But on Monday night, Laski received an eleventh-hour phone call from the city.

After questions from CBC Toronto on its ice allocation policy, the city called Laski to offer the league a weeknight time slot for the 2023-2024 season. 

“By some absolute miracle, they just called me to offer Tuesday nights,” she said. “It’s something to start with.”

Broader change needed, says mother

However, the city making accommodations now after she spoke to media outlets doesn’t signal a change to city policies, she said. 

In a statement to CBC Toronto, the city said it’s engaged with Laski on the issue and mentioned the Tuesday evening slot offer. 

It said it works to make accommodations for all groups who need ice time. This past winter, the city offered “dedicated time slots” for women’s shinny at 29 locations, it said. 

As the mother of three, Laski said she scoured the Greater Toronto Area, trying to find a recreational hockey league for girls on weekdays, specifically meant for fun and skills-building. She couldn’t find any, so in the fall of 2021, she created her own. The league began with 15 girls and has since reached the 40-member maximum.

Laski launched the league as a non-profit in the hope of mor easily accessing city ice, which is cheaper to use than private rinks. 

But when she went through the city’s process to get the ice this past winter, she said she was told there would be “little to no chance” her league would get prime ice time on weekdays because the city needed to honour existing contracts with legacy leagues.

Prime ice time is considered weekdays from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and weekends from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., but Laski says that time was initially impossible to access. 

“Nobody gives up prime ice time,” she said. 

The city’s ice allocation policy states that its method includes “equitable distribution to males, females, persons with disabilities, etc.”

First priority for ice allocation is given to city departmental programs under Parks, Forestry and Recreation. After those programs receive ice time, the majority (60 per cent) goes to community youth non-profit leagues, like the tween girls’ league. 

City councillor advocates for policy rethink

City councillor James Pasternak, who represents York Centre, said he has been advocating for city ice time for the girls.

One characteristic of the ice booking policy is that leagues with a long-term relationship with the city are given first-right refusal over the ice-time allotment, said Pasternak. Without secure ice-time, people won’t sign up for a league, he explained.

“We just don’t have the ice capacity, even when you combine private rinks with city rinks, to meet all the demand,” he said.

Pasternak said he’s brought the issue to Parks, Forestry and Recreation at the city, and they are “working on the situation.” 

He says the policy was last examined in 2010 and needs a rethink. 

Girls deserve ‘equal shot’ at playing, says mother

Parent Elyse Epstein said the girls’ league has been a great way for her daughter to become a better player and feel more confident. “She made a ton of friends,” she said.

“What makes it so fun is I can make new friends and interact with people,” said nine-year-old player Norah Laski, who is Laski’s daughter. 

For now, Laski said she’s hopeful the ice allotment policies will be updated so another group won’t have to face the same challenges she did. 

“I am interested in getting the city to change its policy on ice allocation so our girls, and all girls, can have an equal shot at playing,” she said.