Quebec company opening N.B.’s first ball hockey complex in Saint John
CBC
A $4-million ball hockey complex is being built in an industrial park on the east side of Saint John — two years after it was approved for construction in a residential neighbourhood on the city’s west side.
In October of 2023, city council voted to approve a location on Manawagonish Road on the west side, despite objections from some nearby residents worried about excessive noise as the complex was slated to include an outdoor and indoor playing surface.
Even though Quebec-based company, Knapper, had received the go ahead from council, the team returned to its Montreal-area offices concerned about the area residents, and changed their minds about locating the complex, which would also include a small pub, on Manawagonish Road.
“We came back to the office and just thought about it and said, 'Even though we got the vote …Knapper is a respected company, and wants to be respected by the people,'" said Patrick Bazinet, the president of Knapper Partners Investment Fund.
"So we decided to look for [another site].”
Earlier this week, the company was back in Saint John to announce the construction of Knapper Center Saint John in the McAllister Industrial Park, far away from any of the city’s residential neighbourhoods.
The new site also fits the company’s growth plans, which could include a third playing surface.
Knapper has complexes similar to the one slated for Saint John in Quebec, where the game is really popular, but Bazinet said this will be the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada.
The complex will serve the local ball hockey community but also host regional tournaments.
Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon thinks the company officials made the right decision for themselves and the residents who opposed the original site.
“I don't think [company officials] were happy knowing that it wasn't going to be welcome to a certain extent in that community,” Reardon said. “I think this is a better space too, so I'm happy that it’s come full circle and it's been more of a fulsome process for them to find the right space.”
When Knapper first came to Saint John and company officials were looking for community support, they connected with a longtime leader in the ball hockey community, Gary Crossman.
Crossman, president of the Saint John Metro Ball Hockey League, was also the head coach of the national men’s team that won the World Master’s championships in Bermuda in mid-November.
Crossman, who will be the facility manager, has spent decades playing in old hockey rinks and community centres. He said the new complex will be a draw for the region’s ball hockey community.
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