City crews are preparing to dismantle an Ontario family’s homemade hockey rink that had been popular with local children.
A neighbour had complained about the rink to the city of Cornwall before the holidays. On Monday, workers took preliminary steps to remove the structure.
The Vincent family had built the rink on their front lawn, and officials said its wooden border broke a road allowance bylaw.
“As a property owner, it’s kind of scary that this can be done,” Laura Vincent told CTV News.
But Cornwall Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy said the boards infringed on land that could contain gas, phone and high-voltage electrical lines.
“This is a bylaw that is in effect in every municipality,” O’Shaughnessy said. “It is there for public safety and it needs to be enforced.”
This was the second year the Vincent family had built the hockey rink.
City officials said the family could have an ice rink on their front lawn, just not the wooden border. But the Vincents said that without the border, the ice would wash down their sloping lawn if it rained.
Now, the family says the end of their rink could also mean the end of their time in the neighbourhood.
“My husband’s ready to put the house up for sale today,” Laura Vincent said.
