Article Excerpt:
TWST: We'd like to begin with a brief historical sketch of the company and a picture of the things you are doing at the present time.Mr. Ballantyne: Canlan Ice Sports is the largest private sector owner and operator of recreational ice facilities in North America. We are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ISE. We currently operate 20 facilities with 55 surfaces, including one indoor soccer surface. Of those 20 facilities, we own 13, we operate two under long- term leases and we manage five for third parties. The largest of the locations is here at Burnaby 8 Rinks which is the largest indoor recreational ice facility in North America. Our focus is on leveraging our management knowledge and expertise, gained over the years, to acquire additional third-party management contracts.
TWST: What direction is this kind of business taking in Canada? Is it
becoming increasingly popular?
Mr. Ballantyne: Definitely. In Canada ice skating and hockey,
particularly, is very popular. It is our national sport, and we are
seeing growth. The private sector operators in Canada have historically
competed with the municipalities that provide low-cost ice for the
population. We basically carved out a section of the market in adult
recreational hockey, which uses most of what we refer to as prime time,
which are the hours after five or six in the evening when adult
recreational hockey players want to use the ice. That in itself isn't
enough to create an economic business. We have to utilize daytime ice
(in particular, the ice in summer months) and it is in those periods
that we have schools, programs and youth leagues. We also run camps and
other programs for youth in the summer months.
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