There are few things more Canadian than a pick-up game of shinny on a frozen pond but in Kelowna, signs all over the city warn residents to stay off the ice.
They are signs that Wilden resident Scott Graf chooses to ignore.
“I know there are signs but oh well,” Graf said.
He’s the unofficial ice caretaker for Blair Pond. His neighbourhood surrounds the city park and the pond and he says the ice is a gathering place for the community.
“A lot of kids come here after school,” Graf said. “During the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, there was 200 people out here on average every day.”
The City of Kelowna Parks Supervisor, Ted Sophonow, says he knows people are going to skate on city ponds but says they should know the frozen surfaces are not controlled or monitored by the city.
“Of course liability is involved,” Sophonow said. “We don’t want people to get hurt, to fall through the ice, perhaps even come back on the city saying we weren’t doing enough to make these surfaces safe.”
Graf says he believes people can be responsible for themselves on pond rinks, without the city’s interference.
“You’ve got to be aware of safety before you go out, before you send your kids out but skating on ponds has been going on for years, for decades, for centuries. How are you gonna stop it?” Graf asked.
The city says there are no actual by-laws in place to stop people from going out on ice in city parks and skaters won’t be ticketed.