We applaud and appreciate the city's efforts to provide year-round opportunities for healthy living and activity. We like to support public programs so they are not lost.

As such, our family has a season's pass for city skating rinks. In the past we have enjoyed taking part in Parent and Tot skates at various arenas throughout the city.

At all of these rinks we saw other small children make use of hockey sticks and pucks. We assumed the children used the sticks as skating aids, and parents used them to motivate their aspiring NHL players. This last winter we began to bring small plastic sticks with our two young boys. They loved it. Their skating improved incredibly.

I want to stress that no dangerous speeds were attained; no slap-shots were fired; no one was body-checked; no one else on the ice was interfered with.

In fact, many times we were almost the only people on the ice. Our kids merely held the sticks and chased the pucks. Arena workers witnessed our (and others') activities many times and nothing was ever said.

Recently, we were in a similar position at the old Mountain arena. Instead of polite acceptance however, we were greeted with rudeness by an arena attendant who informed us the children could not use their sticks even though there were only three other people on the entire ice surface.

When we apologized and expressed our confusion (we had used them at this very same arena only one week prior), we were told two different stories.

First, that the policy forbidding the equipment had been put in place in October, and then (by a different employee) that the policy had been in place for two years.

After asking to see this policy, we were provided with a sheet of Public Program Rules.

The only related rules state that "Under NO circumstance, will pucks and/or sticks be permitted on the ice during an ADULT SKATE," (capitalization not mine) and that "Aids are to be used during Parent/preschool Programs ONLY."

Does the city have a clear policy on this topic?

What exactly is a skating aid? I understand the city may be worried about liability and dangerous activity but isn't there some room for discretion?

Do we want to discourage families and kids who want to be active and learn how to skate and play hockey?

Jeffrey Sorensen

Dundas