The Guelph City Council passed the 2010 budget this past week. While the facilities used by other Minor athlete associations were given a 3% increase in rental fees, all Ice related rentals were given a 10% increase in fees.

The Youth subsidy was under consideration to be cut, but the Council decided to leave the subsidy as it was. The other big issue from Guelph was the fate of Centennial Arena. It was decided to leave the arena facilities open and not close them this coming year.

On the Provincial level, the HST will be implemented in 2010 which will increase the ice rental and other costs by 8% for the new season. However we understand that there are still ongoing discussions about how the HST will be applied to Minor Sports. Please use the links below to email our MPP and Premier your comments, questions and suggestions regarding this change.

So, how will this impact GMHA budgeting? We will be reviewing the information that we have and using this information when setting the budget for next year. This includes the fees for our various programs.

We will keep you posted

• Ontario Premier, Dalton McGuinty
• Guelph MPP, Liz Sandals

Thank you!