A union representing City of Vancouver employees claims it is worried over supposed steps being taken by the ruling Non-Partisan Association to privatize community ice rinks in the city.

Paul Faoro, president of CUPE Local 15, told the Straight that the Burlington, Ontario-headquartered Nustadia Recreation Inc. made a presentation last November 20 before the finance committee of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation about “working with them with regards to the privatization of ice rinks”.

Faoro added that he has also secured a copy of a “request for partnership qualifications” submitted by Nustadia to the board.

“It’s a tender or proposal for arena operations and infrastructure renewal,” Faoro said.

NPA park-board Comm. Marty Zlotnik, who chairs the finance committee, told the Straight that Nustadia’s proposal does not involve privatization.

“The study was to assist in the management of the arenas,” Zlotnik said. “They go in and they help organize the time and the marketing, and all the things the city needs to do.”

Zlotnik emphasized that the finance committee hasn’t taken any action on the Nustadia presentation.

“The whole Nustadia thing has been put on the shelf and will stay there for a while,” Zlotnik said.

Nustadia president Bennet Sproule told the committee that his company was “asked to address the $1.7 million net operating deficit of Vancovuer’s seven ice rinks”, according to minutes of the November 20 finance committee meeting.

CUPE Local 15 is currently in negotiations for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement between the city and its unionized workers.

“The issue of privatization and job security ”¦ is an extremely important issue for us,” Faoro said. “We find it extremely provocative and in some sense acting in bad faith that this is going on at the same time that were on the bargaining table.”

The Vancouver park board has eight community ice rinks, which are at the following community centres: Britannia, Kerrisdale Arena, Kitsilano, Killarney, Riley, Sunset, Trout Lake, and the West End.