Stéphane Villeneuve has spent more than three years maintaining an ice rink at Parc Desnoyers in Gatineau, Quebec, but a dispute with the city has him wondering if he should hang up his shovel for good.
Villeneuve, who said he spent hundreds of hours working at the rink last season alone, has decorated a skating hut next to the rink with posters of athletes, as well as advertisements from sponsors who support his maintenance work, which he does as part of the nonprofit group Vision Multisports Outaouais.
He said the sponsorships support more than just the maintenance of the rink: He relies on them to buy the hot chocolate and other treats he serves to the skaters.
“If you come in the winter, you’ll see that everyone really appreciates it,” he told Radio Canada in French.
But according to his account of a meeting with city officials last week, they told him he was violating city policies and gave him a week to clean the shack and return it to its original condition.
“I wasn’t happy,” he said. “I do this for the children.”
Friday deadline approaching
Villeneuve called the city’s initial deadline of Oct. 10 unreasonable and said he will “pull the plug” if the city insists on its demands.
Steven MacKinnon, MP for Gatineau, has come to Villeneuve’s defense. In a post in French on social media, he said he was “deeply disappointed” to hear the track was under threat.
MacKinnon is pushing for a solution. In an interview with Radio-Canada, he implored the city “not to kill the Canadian dream.”
“This looks a lot like the skating rink of dreams,” MacKinnon said in English. “People come from all over, famous hockey players, up-and-coming youth players, they love playing on this rink… and it certainly deserves to be celebrated and not discouraged.”
Count. Daniel Champagne, representative of Gatineau’s Versant district, also hopes to find a way out of the impasse.
“No one, not the city, not the politicians, not the citizens, not anyone in Gatineau, wants to see this runway nearby,” he said. “We are really working to find a solution that satisfies both the city and our friends at Vision Multisports Outaouais.”
The city offers a respite
In an emailed response, the city of Gatineau said it values the efforts of the nonprofit groups that maintain 27 rinks across the city, but said they must meet standards related to fire safety and the city’s branding.
Specifically, these rules prohibit sponsorship in municipal facilities and require prior written authorization for any modifications to buildings.
The city said it asked Villeneuve to remove the signs and stop any unauthorized work, adding that it will evaluate any alterations that have already occurred.
But he said he now realizes that Villeneuve will face difficulties in carrying out those demands by the end of the week. In its response, the city said those changes can occur gradually, between now and the winter of 2026-27.
