50/50 draws a team effort
Q: As a regular attendee at Niagara IceDogs games, I’ve wondered why the Falcons are always the beneficiary of the 50/50 draw held every game.
A: When the Niagara IceDogs came to St. Catharines in 2007, they moved into the Jack Gatecliff Arena that was home to the St. Catharines Junior B Falcons.
With both teams under one roof, deals had to be worked out over everything from the concessions to advertising and ice logos.
“When we arrived here 11 yrs ago you can only imagine how difficult it was trying to work out all the different revenue opportunities in the Falcons home rink,” Niagara IceDogs CEO Bill Burke said in an email.
Burke said from the beginning, as part of a much bigger picture, the Falcons handled the 50-50 draws at the arena since they are a not-for-profit corporation able to secure the required licence and had the volunteers in place to sell and manage the tickets.
“So when we moved into the Meridian Centre, it was only fair to continue our relationship with them,” Burke said.
Jim McConnell, president of St. Catharines Falcons, said they work well together with the IceDogs and that’s important to the organization.
The Falcons had been the major team in town before the IceDogs arrived and regularly drew 1,000plus fans. The team averages about 500 spectators a game now, and McConnell said that’s forced it to be a little more creative in terms of fundraising and board and concourse advertising opportunities. The 50-50 draws at the IceDogs games are a major source of fundraising, along with advertising and securing a major sponsor in Rankin Construction.
The Falcons also continue to sell 50-50 tickets at their games at Jack Gatecliff.
Money raised from the 50-50 draws goes towards ice time, equipment for the players, bus transportation and education bursaries.
“We are a busy organization, a very successful team and it’s just one of the things we do. We’ve got a good relationship with the Icedogs,” McConnell said.
Q: I drive the QEW from Niagara Falls to Fort Erie Monday to Friday. When this latest construction project was finished, I have noticed bales of straw/hay in the median area with wooden stakes to keep them fixed. Curious as to what they could be for. There are usually two bales placed together and seems to be from Lyons Creek Road to Sodom Road.
A: Bridges along the QEW were replaced by the Ministry of Transportation at Tee Creek, Lyon’s Creek and Black Creek.
The two-year construction project began in 2016.
Ministry of Transportation spokeswoman Valentina Stankovic said by email that when the construction was completed in November 2017, the median was seeded to regrow grass.
The straw bales were left in place to provide sediment and erosion control until the seeds take root.
Q: There are a lot of e-bikes in my neighbourhood and I have to wonder how many operators know the rules. Believe it or not, many have small children as passengers where the law states everyone on the bike needs a helmet and be over 16. The one around the corner from me stands the child in front of him with her hands on the handlebars. Very dangerous. Are the police monitoring this activity? One officer to the schools in the morning to catch them or a letter sent home with the child from school might
inform these people.
A: Niagara Regional Police say as much as they’d like to be present to address each instance in which someone is not operating their e-bike safely, it’s not always possible.
Spokeswoman Stephanie Sabourin said by email that e-bikes, like all motorized vehicles including motorcycles and snowmobiles, require educational enforcement throughout the year.
Officers rely on members of the community to report instances when they deem an infraction of that nature is occurring.
She said people who see a situation they think is dangerous should call the police communications unit immediately to be connected with an officer. They can also contact the NRP’s traffic hotline at 905-688-4111, ext. 5555.
If it’s an emergency, call 911. Sabourin said e-bikes, like all motorized vehicles including motorcycles and snowmobiles, require educational enforcement throughout the year.
Send your queries to Karena Walter by email at kwalter@postmedia.com; by Twitter @karena_ standard or through Facebook at www.facebook.com/ karenawalter