A group that advocates for users of Coquitlam’s indoor sports facilities is hoping a new voice at its helm will give it a stronger presence in their administration as well as planning for new facilities.
Tali Campbell, the general manager and vice president of the Coquitlam Express BC Hockey League team, has been named the new president of the Coquiltam Sport Centre User’s Association.
The organization represents the interests of about 14 different groups that use facilities like the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex, the Poirier Forum and Planet Ice.
Campbell said after years of working mostly in the background to advise Coquitlam staff and council about the sports’ groups needs and desires, it’s time to become more proactive.
“If we want to be taken seriously, we need to get a louder voice at the table,” he said.
Among the issues that are becoming more pressing as Coquitlam continues to grow are:
- equipping the Forum with proper heating and air conditioning so it can be used year round
- the renaming of the main arena a Poirier after local lacrosse legend Les Wingrove
- the future of Planet Ice, a civic facility that’s privately managed
- the return of curling to the city
As well, the group wants some say in the planning for future facilities on Burke Mountain and Fraser Mills.
It was the battle to ensure curling would be part of the renovation and expansion of the old Coquitlam Sports Centre into the massive multi-sport complex on Poirier that sparked the association’s formation in 2005 in the first place.
And it’s curlers’ ongoing frustration at securing a new facility since they were evicted from Poirier in 2018 and their ice converted to more general use for figure skating and hockey that’s one of the forces driving the association’s renewed quest for relevance, said Earlene Graham, the former president of the Coquitlam Curling Club.
“Sports user groups are feeling unheard,” Graham said.
“User groups are not getting enough say,” added Andrea Mattinson, one of the association’s founders and its longtime vice president.
Campbell said with proper planning, it’s possible to meet many of the needs of the disparate users of Coquitlam’s indoor sports facilities, including minor lacrosse and hockey, figure skating, floor hockey, ringette, the Canucks Autism Network and even pickleball.
“At the end of the day, we’re all trying to do something better,” he said. “We have to brainstorm together to satisfy the needs of the majority of users.”
To give that effort a kickstart and greater focus, Campbell recently surveyed the user groups that belong to the association to find out their priorities.
Graham said the next step will be to get city staff and council on board.
“We want a plan that’s going to come to fruition,” she said.
Mattinson said the effort is all about bolstering the quality of life for Coquitlam’s residents.
“We want to see people stay active and fit,” she said.
Campbell said facilities like Poirier are a hub for community life.
“The more we can offer, the better,” he said. “If we can make it better, it benefits everyone.”
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