From birthday parties, to school, hanging out with friends, vacations, to all sports and social group activities, the kids have missed out on so much over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The kids have been unbelievably strong despite all the hardships and stress placed on them this year. This however, still takes a toll on them and their mental health. The Kids Help Phone has reported an increase from 1.9 million calls and texts in 2019 to over 4 million in 2020. It's time that we and the Huron East Council do something to help our kids through these unprecedented times.

The Huron East Council elected to remove the ice from the Huron East arena in January as a cost savings measure stemming from the imposed Provincial lock down and Stay at Home order. With restrictions set to lift or ease in the coming weeks, the ability to play ice sports will be returning. The only problem is that the Huron East Council has firmly stated that they will not be reinstalling the ice this year.

Please consider signing this petition that will be presented to council in hopes that we can convince them to reinstall the ice through the end of April for the mental and physical well being of the kids in our area. The precautions and protocol in place prior to the lock down were very effective in preventing the spread of the virus and would continue to be in place for any activity that is performed at the arena. Very little is done in Huron East for the younger generation in our area (no splash pad, no skate park etc.), the least the Council can do is afford them this.

Thank you for your consideration.