In 2024, the Gibsons and Area Community Centre (GACC) rented 852.25 of its non-prime ice hours, compared to 605.50 the year before. Those numbers were part of the 2024 fourth quarter department reports received by the Sunshine Coast Regional District’ (SCRD)committee of the whole at a meeting on Feb. 13.
Speaking to the committee, community services manager Shelley Gagnon indicated the major driver behind that change was Coastal Tsunami junior hockey franchise use. She advised the committee members that the franchise ownership group were considering a delegation before regional elected officials to review the outcomes of its first season in that facility at an upcoming meeting.
Total ice hours rented at GACC and Sunshine Coast Arena (SAC) were up in 2024 for both prime and non-prime hours. Non-prime hours showed the highest level of increase, totalling 1,247.75 compared to 918 in 2023. Rentals of prime hours at the two sites totalled 3,776.75, increasing marginally over the prior year’s count of 3,732 hours.
The SCRD made 5,501 prime ice hours available in 2024, compared to 5,173 the year before. With a larger supply of hours up for grabs, the usage rate when down in 2024 to 65 from the 72 per cent usage seen in 2023.
The 2024 non-prime ice availability remained relatively stable with 2,719 hours for rent, up slightly from 2,702 in 2023. The 2024 usage rate of non-prime ice hours climbed to 39 per cent from 33 per cent the year before.
General rec admissions hold steady
The report noted that general admission totals for the five regional recreation facilities on the Coast in 2024 were on par with 2023. Last year’s numbers were 240,383, just slightly down from 2023’s annual total of 240,541.
The top performers in the admission numbers were the two facilities located in Sechelt. At the Sechelt Aquatic Centre, last year 148,472 customers attended, compared to 145,572 in 2023. SAC brought its general admissions number up by almost 1,100 admissions: with a 2024 total of 6,134 and a 2023 count of 5,042.
At the Pender Harbour Aquatic Centre admissions were close to even over the past two years, with last year’s tally of 12,873 marginally up over 2023’s count of 12,861.
The remaining two rec sites saw drops in general admission customer counts. The largest decline was experienced at GACC where 53,409 admissions were counted last year, compared to 56,613 in 2023.
Admission counts were also lower last year than in 2023 for the Gibsons and District Aquatic facility. 2024’s total number was 19,495 and the year before saw 20,554 admissions.