Fort-Coulonge Minor Comets denied approval to play in Ontario
Fort-Coulonge Minor Comets denied approval to play in Ontario
The Fort-Coulonge Minor Hockey association has had their request to play in the Upper Ottawa Valley Minor Hockey League (UOVMH) rejected by the league’s other members. Paul Boisvert, the president of the Fort-Coulonge association, explained that every year they send a letter asking the Ontario league for approval to play on the other side of the river. The unconventional setup has been ongoing for years, and Boisvert explained that it was because the travel distances involved were shorter than those on the Quebec side.
There was a slight change change during the pandemic, when the Fort-Coulonge teams played in Quebec for the 2021/22 season due to the differences in public health measures between the two provinces, however, they were approved to play in Ontario during the most recent 2022/23 season.
Boisvert said that he didn’t understand why their request was abruptly denied this year, and was not provided with any reasons by his peers in Ontario. He said that this is the first time in his memory that their request had been rejected.
Brydon Schaap, the Chairperson for Hockey Eastern Ontario’s Minor District 5 (the UOVMH’s formal designation within the regional minor hockey hierarchy) said that the request from Fort-Coulonge was voted on at the league AGM by the member associations, and was rejected. The minutes of the meeting are not currently available on the league’s website but the financial statements note that the AGM took place on May 31.
Schaap declined to speculate on the rationale for the member associations’ votes against the inclusion of Fort-Coulonge. He added that the district wouldn’t go against the wishes of the member associations, meaning the vote was final.
CHIP 101.9 has requested comment from the heads of all the associations that make up the UOVMH, but has not yet received any response.
Boisvert was hopeful that they wouldn’t see a big decline in registrations due to the change in league, and said that they would have to fundraise more in order to keep registration fees low.
