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Editorial: Saving Coquitlam curling

Can some accommodation be made to keep the legacy sport in the city?
Curling
Ice time is in short supply in Coquitlam, resulting in a closer look at how resources are used. But eliminating curling to make way for more hockey and skating may not be the right thing to do even though it may make the most sense financially.

The city of Coquitlam deserves kudos for trying to run its community facilities as efficiently as possible. But kicking the Coquitlam curling club out of the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex because they take up space staff says could be better utilized by hockey and skating needs a re-think.

Surely there is a compromise that can work and revenue shouldn't be the only deciding factor.

There is no question that ice time is at a premium but Coquitlam can't simply wash its hands of the long-standing group in the hopes that they can find ice time somewhere else. It needs to acknowledge that there may be value in the program that benefits people of all ages, including the 1,400 school kids that curl there, Special Olympics and competitive curlers that use the ice.

While Port Moody ice was seen as an option, eliminating Coquitlam's program is not a real solution as it would just create challenges and costs for PoMo's curling program.

The question Coquitlam needs to be asking is can the city support this legacy sport or not, and if not, it must take full responsibility for the program's demise.