Special Hockey International may expand to Innisfil
By Chris Simon

Rob Chapman would love to see his son play hockey a little closer to home.

For the last four years, Chapman has been taking his 18-year-old mentally disabled son Mitchell to play for Special Hockey International's Newmarket team. But Chapman also knows there's a need for a club in the Simcoe County area. So a group of parents, including Chapman, have asked Innisfil council to donate about $8,000 in weekend ice time between October and March, through the town's Community Reinvestment Fund.

The funding would be vital to getting the team - which would be named the Innisfil Snowdogs - started, said Chapman.

The team would play other Special Hockey International competitors from throughout the region. The league also has teams in Brampton, Don Mills, Guelph and North York, among other locations.

"There's over 15 teams from Canada, the United States and London, England that play in this," said Chapman. "This is open to any person, five years and older, male or female, with intellectual disabilities. It give the kids an opportunity to play hockey when they otherwise wouldn't be able to. We can't do anything until we get some ice time donated. There's not a team between Newmarket and North Bay, so this will draw from all over Simcoe County."

The team helps build selfconfidence and openness among players, said Rob's wife Jayne Chapman.

"It's done wonders for (Mitchell)," she said. "He feels like he belongs to something, he has friends. He's like a different kid."

Recently, the town's reinvestment fund committee denied a request for funding from the group, because a majority of its participants live outside of Innisfil. However, the town has since asked the committee to review the Snowdogs application, and will discuss the results at a meeting in June.

"That's only the second time council has been involved with the process, since our goal was to keep our hands off and (only) make the final approval," said mayor Brian Jackson. "I hope they work it out. We showed due diligence in trying to assist them."

Snowdogs organizer Ruth Ware estimates over 30 Innisfil students would play for the team. And, the team would meet several other criteria for funding.

"They turned us down because we're not 75 per cent (Innisfil residents)," she said. "But we have three of the four exceptions to the rules. We're trying to get the word out there now, to show that yes, there is a need for it."

Although Jackson supports the concept of the team, he says council needs to be diligent with the way it spends reinvestment funding. The fund was originally set up to help organizations within the community that require financial help.

"The criteria is very specific for a reason," he said. "It was put in place for the residents of the town. We take about $100,000 a year from the (OLG) slots money and put it in there. This is a way of thanking our residents for having that facility in our town. The goal is to help individuals and organizations within our own municipality.

"We have to be accountable; it is public money. We have to make sure we are being fair and reasonable with all the parties."

The team needs to be formed by June. Registration is $175, but organizers will work with financially challenged families. For more information on the team, call 739-0394 or 791-3452 or e-mail simcoemoving@telizon.ca or wareru@rogers.com.