There will be no ice at Amherstburg's Libro Centre for at least the next couple of months.
Council has voted to remove the ice while the region is in Grey-Lockdown status of the province's COVID-19 Response Framework as it's become impossible for user groups to host any programming.
Mayor Aldo DiCarlo says lockdown is to last 28 days and, if things are going well, a shift back to red status would be another 28 days before rinks could be reopened.
DiCarlo says there's no sense in maintaining ice no one is using.
"With the further restrictions imposed upon us regionally with only being able to have 10 people in the building, not just 10 people on the ice, but 10 people in the building, it really hit a point where we would have literally been maintaining ice for no one to use," he says.
DiCarlo says the ice will be put back in if possible.
"There was of course the concern by the user groups that the ice would come out and not go back in, period, until the next season. The majority of council opted to go with option two. Once we hit a stage where it is feasible, administration would need about two weeks to get the ice back in and that will be an option," he says.
DiCarlo says demand from user groups will play a part in reopening as well.
"The triggers to put the ice back in are, one, the restrictions and, two, the demand. Just switching stages won't necessarily be an immediate reopening of the arena. We would also need to know that there's going to be users who are going to need it," he adds.
The removal of the Libro Centre's ice until February is expected to save the town at least $100,000.
With files from Rob Hindi