By Trevor Greenway
MRC des Collines Police allege that a Zamboni driver under the influence of alcohol crashed into the boards at the Meredith Centre Oct. 21 and caused damage to one of the doors inside the Chelsea arena.
According to police, the 25-year-old Zamboni driver, who has not been named, was arrested for drunk driving and will appear in court at a later date. The man’s licence was suspended.
Police allege the man was cleaning the ice around 9:45 p.m. when he slammed into the end of the rink boards.
A video released by police of the event appears to show the Zamboni crashing into the boards at the far end of the ice. The driver then reverses, and there is some yelling between a referee on the ice and the driver.
According to MRC des Collines Police spokesperson Martin Fournel, a witness at the arena called the cops shortly after the incident. When police arrived, they performed a sobriety test, which police say he failed. Fournel told the Low Down that the driver’s blood-alcohol content was above .08 per cent, which is the legal limit.
“It’s important to remember that our officers intervened after receiving a call from a concerned person that was on site and because it was possible for that person to observe symptoms of impairment, plus the fact the person just had a collision causing damages with a big machine and kept driving after – it was unsafe for the driver himself and for anyone present there at the time,” added Fournel.
He continued: “And it was the right thing to do. Any citizen witnessing something like this should also call. So, once on site, our officers confirmed the fact that the gentleman was driving under the influence of alcohol, and he got arrested.”
The incident has raised questions about whether or not the driver should have been arrested for a DUI, as he wasn’t driving on a public road.
According to Fournel, it doesn’t matter where or what you’re driving, if it’s a “motor vehicle” and you’re under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you can be charged.
“You can be arrested driving a boat, a train, a plane, an ATV and you are not on the road,” Fournel explained, citing the Criminal Code, which defines a motor vehicle as “a vehicle that is drawn, propelled or driven by any means other than muscular power.”
Fournel said the 25-year-old was cooperative, but was led out of the arena in handcuffs, which he said is standard police procedure.
According to Chelsea Foundation executive-director Amanda DeGrace, the organization which runs the Meredith Centre, the driver was not a municipal employee but rather a staffer with the Chelsea Foundation.
While she wouldn’t discuss the specifics of the incident, citing that it was an internal matter, she did say that the Chelsea Foundation takes these events seriously.
“Public and staff safety is a high priority for us,” said DeGrace. “We do have extensive training protocols in place as well that all staff follow. DeGrace wouldn’t comment on whether or not the employee was fired or disciplined.
When asked if he was a municipal or Foundation employee, she said, “He is, was, an employee of the Chelsea Foundation.”
This is not the first time in Canada that a Zamboni driver has been charged for driving an ice resurfacer while drunk. A man in Manitoba was arrested after he crashed into the boards during a game in 2015. Another incident that same year, this time in North Dakota saw a man spend nine days in jail for driving a Zamboni while under the influence.