The Doug Bondue Arena in Port Alice will have new hours of operation for the upcoming hockey season as the Village continues to look at ways to cut spending.
"Although Neucel Specialty Cellulose have paid their 2016 Municipal taxes it is important for the Village to continue to try to achieve reduced spending and identify areas where savings can be realized. As well, because of Neucel's ongoing curtailment, the Village's population continues to remain stagnant or worse may be diminishing," Chief Administrative Officer Ronald Campbell wrote in a memo to council.
Campbell added that he has reviewed the Arena's schedule for the past couple of years, "and it appears that a change of hours and days of operation would result in reduced costs with no significant negative impact on scheduling."
Port Alice council agreed with Campbell and passed a resolution that for the upcoming 2016/17 hockey season, the Doug Bondue Arena will be open for use from Tuesday to Saturday from the hours of 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and that the arena will close the last week of March and open back up in October of each year.