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Inflation isn’t just making lettuce at the grocery store and gas at the pumps more expensive; it will also make almost every aspect of life in Port Colborne more expensive this year.
Whether you are a hockey player looking to hit the ice at the Vale Centre, a family looking to take a day trip to the beach or a developer looking for a zoning amendment, the cost for almost every service provided by the municipality has been hiked from the 2022 rate.
Fortunately, for parents looking for an affordable outlet for their kids this year, the Sir John Colborne Youth Soccer Club (SJCYSC) is keeping costs from spiraling out of hand.
“We’re very aware that inflation is making things difficult for parents,” said Matt Gill, technical director of the SJCYSC. “Especially if they have more than one child, those extra costs can be really tough. Lucky for us, we’ve got our contract locked in with the city, so the price hikes for the fields won’t affect us.”
Relative to other sports which require a lot of equipment and have hefty registration fees, Gill said soccer in Port Colborne is one of the least expensive youth activities. Basic registration for house league only runs about $100, while travel soccer costs around $300.
By keeping the financial barrier to entry low, Gill said the SJCYSC has been able to grow the local game and the club boasted 550 registered players last season.
But while the SJCYSC has been able to stave off the wave of inflation this year, residents will find they aren’t so lucky when it comes to other aspects of everyday life in Port Colborne.
Even mundane things, like getting a license for your dog, have been hiked this year, from $15 in 2022 up to $16 in 2023. While an extra dollar for a dog license might not seem like much at first, when combined with the increased cost of everything else, like an extra $1 for a public skate at the Vale Centre, an extra $1.50 to rent a volleyball court, an extra $2.60 to access Nickel Beach or an extra 25 cents to launch your boat, then the extra cost of everyday activities can quickly start to add up.
The cost to rent an ice surface for a single youth hockey game is being hiked by $15 per hour, or $21 per hour for an adult league game.
Addressing the increased sports fees during budget deliberations, Mayor Bill Steele said that even with the cost of an ice surface for a junior hockey game going up from $162 last year to $185 this year, the city is still offering what he considers an attractive rate for prospective sports clubs.
“I think we’re still a pretty good bargain,” said Steele, who pointed to the going rates in Toronto for comparison. “I really think we’re a good bargain for such a great facility, especially compared to the GTA, where you are paying four or five hundred dollars for crappy rinks.”
During that same debate, Ward 3 Coun. Gary Bruno cautioned that ever-increasing costs to rent ice at the Vale Center could drive away some of the city’s customers.
“They might be coming to us because they like our facility, but the other reason might be the economics,” said Bruno, who noted that the Vale Center becomes less of a bargain if the price is hiked to where it’s similar in cost to other Niagara arenas. “If we get too close to the other guys, at some point, they might say it’s not worth it.”
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: This week, the Leader looked at how inflation will hit local pocketbooks in 2023 and how some groups are dealing with the increases.
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