Council to discuss prorated suite payments due to shortened OHL season

A shortened potential Ontario Hockey League season has led to City Council looking at prorated fees for the suites at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

Director of Community Services Brent Lamming will present a report to Council on Monday night seeking approval for reducing the annual payments made for the suites during Soo Greyhounds games.

In a normal OHL season, fees for the 13 suites in the facility would mean $139,658.90 collected by the City.

The pro rated amounts, which hasn’t factored in tax, for the suites would see the City bring in $82,152.29, a drop of $57,506.61 from the full rates.

The recommendation comes as the OHL will play a shortened 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the OHL’s return to play policy, the league is looking to play a 40-game regular season, beginning on Feb. 4, with teams playing 20 home games.

City staff have been in contact with other venues in Ontario that are taking a similar approach in the same circumstances.

Some suite holders have already made payments as part of their lease agreement with the City and in those cases, the City will provide refunds in those cases.

The report also recommends a new payment deadline for the suites of Jan. 15, 2021.

If the OHL season gets pushed back further, the recommendation will be that the payments would be prorated further as a result.

Monday’s Council meeting, which begins at 4:30 p.m., will be livestreamed by SooToday.