Negotiations may have gone into overtime, but on Sept. 20, the Town of Collingwood and Collingwood Blues ownership finally signed on the dotted line to secure a contract for the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena for the next 10 years.
During council’s regular meeting on Sept. 23, Mayor Yvonne Hamlin shared that the town and the Blues had finally come to an agreement for the tenancy, after more than nine months of negotiating.
“Both parties were really happy to be able to put this agreement in place for the future of our community and the future of the Blues,” said Mayor Yvonne Hamlin during Monday’s meeting.
According to a memo added to the council agenda late on Monday, the new contract includes provisions for exclusive and non-exclusive use areas within the Eddie Bush and periods of use.
For example, the Blues dressing room and the upstairs and downstairs concession areas are exclusive use areas, and non-exclusive use areas include the ice surface, box office and the W. J. (Scotty) Carmichael Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame Room.
The contract will be in effect for 10 years, with an option to renew for another 10 years. If a new ice facility is built in town within that time frame, the Blues agreement will transfer to the new facility.
The new rental rate formula will include a split of the revenue from advertising, at a minimum of $38,000 annually plus adjustments for the consumer price index.
Regarding the hall of fame room, the new contract outlines categories of use and describes within each scenario the degree to which the room can be accessed, which party is responsible for monitoring the space, and which party is liable for damage should it occur.
According to the town memo about the contract, the hall of fame room use guidelines support the overarching principles that:
- Any group or individual may book the hall of fame through the town’s rental booking process.
- The public should be able to access the hall of fame as a warm viewing space when the arena is open to the public.
- The public should be able to tour the hall of fame and view the hall of fame exhibits when the arena is open to the public.
- The hall of fame exhibits and Collingwood Blues property should be protected from damage.
CollingwoodToday has requested a copy of the contract.
The existing Collingwood Blues contract (when signed, the team was called the Collingwood Colts), was signed by the town and team ownership and went into effect in 2019, following the Colts being awarded tenancy of the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
The current contract expired Aug. 19, 2024. This past December, the Blues requested an extension to the existing contract for an additional year to allow time for renegotiation while having some certainty prior to committing to the Ontario Junior Hockey League for the 2024-2025 season by their deadline of Jan. 15.
Town council denied the request for an extension. Blues owner Dave Steele committed to the league for next season without knowing for sure whether there would be a new contract for the Eddie Bush in place.
On Feb. 14, Steele told CollingwoodToday that talks between the Blues and the town had broken down, and he had been considering other options for the team for the 2024-25 season. However, on Feb. 15, town council called an emergency closed-session meeting and announced that the town had come to an agreement with Blues ownership for the tenancy, which would last for 10 years minimum.
However, the deal remained unsigned as negotiations over details continued.
On July 29, council voted to extend the existing Blues contract until Sept. 30, to give both parties more time to come to consensus.
As part of Monday’s meeting, Collingwood Blues board member Terry Geddes came before council to ask for their support to host a World Junior A Challenge tournament in Collingwood next year. He briefly mentioned the contract as part of his remarks.
“We know how much you put into the negotiation of the contract for the Collingwood Blues, and we sincerely thank you,” said Geddes.
This year, the World Junior A tournament will be hosted in Camrose, Alberta. For the first time in Collingwood’s history, the Blues sent three players last year when the event was held in Nova Scotia: Marcus Lougheed, Cameron Eke and Jack Rimmer.
Next year’s tournament will take place Sept 7-13, 2025. Applications for bids to host for next year are due to Hockey Canada on Sept. 27.
“The Town of Collingwood has a rich history of hosting international events,” said Geddes. “We look forward to advancing our application.”
On Monday, council put forward a motion to waive notice, and voted unanimously in favour of supporting the application.
