Latest news with #WestonLionsArena
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Local hockey league says ‘there's hope' after being granted one more year to play at Toronto arena
the puck will drop once again at least for one more season, as the local hockey association works to find a new home. Walking through the halls at Weston Lions Arena, Lesley Bannard expresses relief. It was feared that the arena located near Lawrence Avenue West and Weston Road had seen its last game, and the minor hockey organization she runs would fall apart. Now, she says, 'There's hope for us.' 'There's hope past this year, which is amazing. The last time he talked, there was no hope past September, potentially,' Bannard said. Lesley Bannard Lesley Bannard speaks to CTV News Toronto inside Weston Lions Arena. (CTV News) When CTV News first reported on the story last month, Bannard had been told there would no longer be an ice rink at the arena when Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment transforms it into an MLSE LaunchPad, which would offer free sports programs to local youth. The first MLSE LaunchPad, located in the downtown neighbourhood of Moss Park, caters mostly to sports played on a court. Back in June, Bannard said, 'All we're asking for is a chance. A chance to survive.' The Weston Minor Hockey League had been wondering why they were being pushed out of an arena they had called home since it was built 75 years ago. Weston Lions Arena The ice hockey rink inside Weston Lions Arena. (CTV News) There are over 100 players in their house league. Hunter Williams is one who began playing this past season. The seven-year-old expressed sadness over the potential loss, saying, 'I want to play one more season here, though.' After the story was reported, Bannard says community support skyrocketed. She was offered a meeting on July 2. Weston Lions Arena Weston Lions Arena is pictured here. (CTV News) Bannard shared that after meeting with MLSE and the city, the league was granted one more season at the arena. She added that the Weston Minor Hockey League has also been working with the city to find a new home for the 2026-27 season. Final plans for the Weston Lions Arena location have not been revealed. Councillor Frances Nunziata said in a statement, 'I, the city, and Weston Lions all look forward to being able to provide more details once plans are solidified this coming fall.' In a separate statement, the MLSE Foundation said, 'A key part of this process is working diligently with the City of Toronto, local councillors and the community through public consultations to ensure any existing programming, if applicable, will have a suitable alternative location and that the selected space creates opportunity for thousands of local youth to access sport.' Bannard says she would love to see an ice arena in the final design, 'but as long as the community has their say, that's what matters to me.' Lesley Bannard A young Lesley Bannard wearing the Weston Lions hockey jersey is seen in this undated photo. (Supplied) The history of Weston Lions Arena is intertwined with Bannard's life. She played here as a child and is now a coach. Bannard was even married at centre ice and soon her child will be old enough to skate. Lesley Bannard wedding Lesley Bannard gets married at centre ice inside Weston Lions Arena. (Supplied) If this is the end, Bannard sees this season as a chance to say goodbye. 'To have one more year staring at this roof, staring at the gondolas with the big logo on it and staring up at our banner hanging up in the corner there, it's just going to be a really special year.'
CBC
18-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Redevelopment plans for Weston Lions arena leave 80-year-old hockey league in limbo
Members of Toronto's historic Weston Minor Hockey League are reeling after finding out this month that the rink they've called home for decades is being eyed for redevelopment — and now they're worried kids in the area may soon have to find somewhere else to skate. It's a bittersweet, complicated scenario for parents, kids and organizers of the league that plays at the Weston Lions Arena near Lawrence Avenue W. and Scarlett Road. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) is reportedly in talks to lease the location from the city as part of its Launchpad program, which provides a place for kids to play sports alongside other programming and mentorship for youth. Community stakeholders interviewed by CBC News this week were steadfast in their support of that initiative, and say it will undoubtedly be good for the area should it come to pass. They take issue, however, with a lack of communication about those plans from the city, leaving people scrambling to figure out exactly what is happening at the site and what it could mean for the league next season. "We deserve to be consulted, and there was no community consultation whatsoever," said Lesley Bannard, president of the league. "The dream has always been for my kid to skate on this ice, and that might not happen — and that's awful, it's gut-wrenching. We would just appreciate the opportunity to say goodbye and finish this off right." Bannard told CBC News that she found out about redevelopment plans for the arena in an email newsletter from York South-Weston Coun. Frances Nunziata sent on June 5. Mixed signals from stakeholders In the newsletter, Nunziata said that "through my efforts," MLSE and the city "will be moving forward with a leasing agreement" for the arena. "MSLE Launchpad and Weston Lions Management collaborated throughout the process, and it is truly a monumental and transformational opportunity for MLSE Launchpad, Weston Lions and for our community," she wrote. "I cannot say enough about how important this will be for the future generations of Weston and the City of Toronto." In an email statement sent to CBC News, Nunziata said she fully appreciates the level of community interest in the project — but she was also less firm about where the process stands, saying the city is "now in discussions with MLSE Launchpad on a new lease." She also said her office continues to "work closely" with arena management as discussions progress, and is committed to finding ice space for the league for the 2025 season — though that can be notoriously hard to find in Toronto, with demand usually far outpacing supply. In a statement, MLSE said the organization is in the early stages of expanding the Launchpad program to a new location and is "exploring potential site options," though no formal agreement has been signed as the site selection process is still ongoing. "A key part of this process is working diligently with the City of Toronto, local councilors and the community through public consultations to ensure any existing programming, if applicable, will have a suitable alternative location and that the selected space creates opportunity for thousands of local youth to access sport," the statement reads. A city spokesperson, meanwhile, said in an email that an engagement process between stakeholders and local residents is currently underway, with a "feasibility review" to be brought forward to city council for discussion later this year. Uncertainty remains All of this uncertainty has left league officials questioning exactly when they might have to leave the rink, and if any new project at the location would include an ice surface. On top of being a home for hockey, the arena also provides vital funding to the Weston Area Emergency Support Food Bank. Diana Stapleton, the food bank's chair, said proceeds from fries sold at the rink last year amounted to $25,000, which paid for their program's eggs for the entire year. "It's a significant investment in the community," she said. "Losing something like that would mean there's some food we won't be able to supply our community with." Brandy Williams, whose son Hunter plays in the Weston league, told CBC News that parents shouldn't be finding out about the project through a councillor's newsletter. "It was devastating to get the news that way, and to feel like we didn't matter as much as the corporate side of it," she said. And while she would love if any redeveloped facility still included an ice surface, Williams said if nothing else, she hopes the city and MLSE would give the league one more season to end off its run in the building the right way, should this project come to pass. "It's not that much to ask," she said.
CTV News
17-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
‘A chance to survive': Toronto ice hockey league fears for future due to loss of arena
Concerns raised about renovations at Weston Lions Arena will leave local team without place to play Inside her office, Weston Minor Hockey League President Lesley Bannard sits surrounded by trophies—a sign of the organization's history. These days Bannard isn't wondering whose name will appear on each one next season. She is fearful that Weston Lions Arena and her organization will not see next season. Weston Lions Arena Weston Lions Arena is pictured here. (CTV News) 'All we're asking for is a chance—a chance to survive,' she says. According to Coun. Frances Nunziata, the City of Toronto has entered into a leasing agreement with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) to turn Weston Lions Arena into the next MLSE LaunchPad. A similar space on Jarvis Street downtown offers free access to multiple sports like basketball and soccer to many in the community. 'It means that there won't be any ice left at Weston Lions Arena. They're going to take it and make it a multi-sport facility,' says Bannard. Weston Minor Hockey League President Lesley Bannard Weston Minor Hockey League President Lesley Bannard sits in her office at Weston Lions Arena. (CTV News) Back in April, city council passed a motion to engage with MLSE on using the arena located near Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue West as a site for a possible LaunchPad. Nunziata called it a monumental and transformational opportunity. When asked about the ice surface, the councillor provided a statement that said, 'Regarding ice for the Weston Minor Hockey League, I have committed to work with city parks staff to identify ice space for the 2025 season ahead.' Nunziata noted that the free programming provided by MLSE is something that she wishes was available when raising her own family in the area. 'I want to play one more season here' Weston Lions Arena has a rich history. Built in 1949, the structure has a vintage wooden ceiling. The sand under the ice is said to have been donated by former Leafs owner and man who built Maple Leaf Gardens, Conn Smythe. It has been featured in numerous television commercials and was used in the movie 'Score: a hockey musical.' Seven-year-old Hunter Williams just finished his first year with the Weston Minor Hockey League. He needed help to make it happen and the organization gave him an assist. 'Being a single parent, it was hard to kind of see if we can juggle the cost of it,' his mother, Brandy Williams, said. 'I got in contact with Lesley and she was great, and she found me funding.' When asked about the arena, Hunter says, 'It's sad to say, because it's been here for a long time, and I want to play one more season here.' The arena is also famous for their French fries. 'The French fries are really good,' said Hunter. Weston Lions Arena french fries Weston Lions Arena french fries is pictured here. Weston Lions Arena donates all profits from their French fries to the local food bank. In 2024, that was $25,000. Diana Stapleton from the Weston emergency food bank says, 'Losing a major donor is very scary, especially now when food bank use is at its highest ever.' For Bannard, the arena is part of her family history. Having played here as a child, she came back to coach as an adult. Bannard was even married inside the arena at centre ice. Lesley Bannard wedding Lesley Bannard gets married at centre ice inside Weston Lions Arena. (Supplied) Bannard says an MLSE Launchpad could be great for the community. 'I see the bigger picture,' she says, adding, 'I see what MLSE is bringing here and ultimately it's going to be amazing for this community. There's a lot of people in this community who deserve to have something like that here.' What she doesn't understand is why the ice surface would have to be sacrificed. 'As somebody who has an 18-month-old daughter at home who I can get on the ice for this season, she's never going to skate here. And that makes me really sad,' Bannard said. There is an online petition calling on provincial and local officials to secure a home for the league.
