Anthony Marcusa –
A recent motion proposed by Ward 13 Councillor Chris Moise has put the future of Moss Park Arena operations in doubt. Tensions are rising between the arena board and the councillor’s office.
“All community members, regardless of socioeconomic status, should have access to free programming and drop-in opportunities at Moss Park Arena and, unfortunately, that has not been happening for a very long time,” Moise’s notice of motion states.
Moss Park Arena is one of eight arenas in Toronto run by volunteer boards appointed by the city’s public appointments office. Claiming the current board does not represent the interests of the area, as a majority of its members are not Toronto Centre residents, Moise wants control in the hands of the city. While he sought to dissolve the board, an amendment that was adopted will see the Parks, Forest and Recreation Department develop a transition plan this year for consideration.
Board vice chair Karin Fritzlar has vocally opposed the move and the councillor’s contention that the board does not serve the needs of the community.
“It’s absolutely patently false,” Fritzlar told the bridge. “If he had taken the time to learn the programming provided by the arena, he would see that was not the case. While it’s obviously in our best interest to provide programming for the local community, it is not a requirement in the framework that the city has for these arena-run boards to provide local community programming. Anyone in the city can attend any of these arenas.”
Moise “cannot point to anything that Moss Park Arena is or isn’t doing that is in contravention of that framework,” Fritzlar said, referring to an arrangement between the city and arena boards. “Further, he has not met with the user groups of the arena and has made these decisions in a vacuum.”
Conflict with the board quickly followed after Moise took office in November 2022.
“Our biggest concern at the time was assistance … for needed repairs,” said Fritzlar. “The councillor vacillated between being uninterested and aggressive, and critical of what was going on. He didn’t seem to have any interest in helping us figure out who to connect with.”
Fritzlar also spoke of a meeting in which Councillor Moise unsuccessfully requested that Metrolinx build a new arena alongside the subway station it’s constructing. Moise brought a few developers through the arena for a tour, she added.
In an email, the councillor’s office stated that he believes the arena should be renovated alongside a revitalization plan for an updated park, community centre and subway station in the Moss Park area.
“Arena users should also have a brand-new Arena. Instead, the current plans in place are to have everything surrounding the Arena shiny and new with a decrepit Arena, requiring major capital work, sitting in the middle,” his office wrote. “Our community deserves better.”
Asked specifically about its desires for the arena, the office responded, “there are absolutely no plans or intentions to add residential or mixed-use to the site.”
“A new arena could be built with the current structure of a board of management rather than an arena run by Parks, Forestry and Recreation,” says Fritzlar. She says there was no warning of Moise’s motion, but said she wasn’t surprised.
In an email, Moise’s office said a toxic culture on the board has led to resignations by recent appointees. The councillor’s office says one board member appointed after he took office has already resigned, with “another expected to resign shortly.” It said another recent appointee, Jessica Polanski, is “a local resident who expressed an interest in supporting the Arena with fundraising for capital repairs and redevelopment.”
Fritzlar said Polanski has attended only three out of 10 meetings since being appointed. Polanski did not immediately respond for comment.
“Any so-called ‘toxic culture’ on the board is as a direct result of the councillor’s involvement,” said Fritzlar. “He has pulled the focus and energy of the board away from the management of the arena to navigating politics of his office and City Hall.”
Some community members are wondering what city governance might mean, but the councillor’s office says the proposed change would have “minimal, if any, impact” on existing programs and leagues.
Michael Wayne, a University of Toronto emeritus professor of history, has been a part of a group renting ice for nearly 30 years. While concerned about the future of his league, he worries about how a change of leadership might affect the surrounding area.
“This is a neighbourhood where there are a lot of people facing challenges,” he told the bridge. “It’s a very important section of Toronto in terms of volunteer shelters and the housing justice network for the homeless. It’s very important that the people running the operation are sensitive to the challenges. I always got the impression they are.”
Since the notice of motion in May, Kritzlar said there has been no contact between the Board and Moise. Requests for a meeting have gone ignored, she says, and several emails have only yielded an angry response from his chief of staff.
