On Sunday, at the opening of the minor ice field hockey game between Île Perrot and Vaudreuil-Dorion, the mayor of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, Danie Deschênes, and her counterparts from Pincourt and Terrasse-Vaudreuil, Claude Comeau and Michel Bourdeau, celebrated the official launch of the Cité-des-Jeunes Arena.

The three elected officials from Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, Pincourt and Terrasse-Vaudreuil were visibly pleased to see months of hard work come to fruition.

"Our goal has always been to ensure that our young and not-so-young continue to have access to ice time at a competitive cost," explains Danie Deschênes, mayor of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot. "Since Île Perrot residents were already regular users of the Cité-des-Jeunes arena, it was only natural to maintain our access to this infrastructure that meets our needs. Our common goal remains to have an infrastructure on the island."

Under this agreement, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion acquired the arena in recent months. 

Under the terms of the agreement, the three towns on Île Perrot will assume the mortgage on the arena for the next three to five years, in exchange for all revenues generated by the arena.

An intermunicipal committee has been set up to manage the Cité des Jeunes arena. The committee is made up of the mayors and general managers of the three municipalities, plus a director who will be in charge of arena operations.

"We're very happy to see young people continuing to play field hockey at the Aréna cité des jeunes," explains Claude Comeau, mayor of Pincourt. "The agreement reached with neighboring towns guarantees the various sports associations access to ice time for the next three to five years. Meanwhile, we're continuing to work together to realize a sports facility project on Île Perrot."

A plus for the island's population

To enable the entire population to enjoy the facilities, time slots will be reserved for the general public.

The directors plan to set up free skating sessions and present shows.

"Every Saturday evening, residents of the towns on the island are invited to take part in free skating from 7 p.m. to 9:50 p.m.," says Michel Bourdeau, mayor of Terrasse-Vaudreuil. "And keep an eye on our social media for new activities coming soon.  The large number of arena users reinforces the relevance for our towns of operating the Aréna cité des jeunes while awaiting the completion of the project on the Island."

A profitable project?

Last June, some citizens questioned the mayor of NDIP about the profitability of the project and the repercussions on citizens, particularly in terms of taxation, Danie Deschênes indicated: 

"The arena generates a lot of profit. There should be no increase in taxes, since according to our estimates, the arena should generate as much revenue as it spends. The worst-case scenario is that in the first year, there will be a loss of $68,000 for the three towns," she said. 

From an environmental point of view, Danie Deschênes considers that the agreement will have little impact. "We think it's a good environmental choice when you consider that many Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot residents travel to Hawkesbury to skate. Vaudreuil-Dorion is the closest town ready to welcome our community. What's more, for the next three to five years, we'll be able to use an existing infrastructure rather than build a new one, and we won't need any subsidies," she added.

Building on Île Perrot

Despite the agreement, Danie Deschênes remains adamant that sports infrastructure is sorely needed on Île Perrot.

"Our objective remains the same: to create our own sports infrastructure, and there is a real political will to do so within the three towns. The municipal council sees this agreement as an interesting lever that will enable us to set a timetable for the construction of a sports infrastructure on Île Perrot".

The municipalities have already set their sights on a number of sites. "There are lots. The one just behind the Metro is earmarked for the construction of a sports facility. There's also one near the golf course in Pincourt. There's no shortage of options. That said, until it's done, we're going to manage the Cité-des-Jeunes arena, which is not only profitable, but also in acceptable condition to survive field hockey players, figure skaters and ringette players for the next three to five years," concluded Ms. Deschênes.