Patrick Brown now has a $200,000 hockey rink in his own backyard — but who paid for it?

We all know how much Patrick Brown loves hockey. Heck, back when he shut down all the city’s parks and recreation facilities to the kids of Brampton, Brown routinely snuck in to play shinny with his Barrie boyfriends at the Earnscliffe Recreation Centre. Indeed, we caught him there red-handed.

But Sneaky Patrick Brown always thinks he’s at least one step ahead of his critics. So, instead of having to sneak into an arena, should the COVID-19 restrictions return in the months ahead (and we think that is a safe bet, likely coinciding with flu season) Mayor Brown embraces the mantra of Mad magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman: “What, me worry?” Which is to say, His Honour won’t be sneaking into city rinks anymore, as he has literally brought the hockey rink right into his own 1.5-acre backyard!

And as far as backyard rinks go, Brown has a beauty. It’s about one-third the size of a city rink, complete with boards and a refrigeration unit. Indeed, it is estimated that this rink cost approximately $200,000, although it remains unknown who paid for it. Perhaps someone who hopes to get a contract with the city, should Brown get re-elected in October?

The rink was actually operational last winter. And guess what: though Brown does not (yet) own a Zamboni to resurface the ice, that proved to be no problem whatsoever. You see, Brown, being the mayor, has friends in high places — including Brampton’s Fire Chief, Bill Boyes. Indeed, Chief Boyes was spotted on numerous occasions using a city firetruck to flood the ice! As well, Chief Boyes and his coworkers allegedly played hockey at “Patrick Brown Gardens” – during working hours.

We reached out to the chief with several questions. These included:

• Who paid for the water used to resurface the ice?
• What was the estimated cost of the water as well as the use of the firetruck?
• Did you and your coworkers play hockey on this ice surface during work hours?
• Do you know if a building permit was issued by the city so that this hockey rink could be constructed in the first place?

Chief Boyes has yet to respond.

And that permit question is a juicy one. We sought answers from the City of Brampton permits department, but get this: according to the city, the address of Brown’s residence does not exist! How can this be? Is Sneaky Patrick somehow trying to hide a 1.5-acre property situated near downtown Brampton?

Our sources tell us that the Kapil family, the original owners of the property, allegedly already have a deal with the city to provide it with PPE. Could it be that the Kapils built the rink for a “favour” from Brown down the road, perhaps in exchange for some more contracts? (It should be noted that the Kapils have also sunk about $500,00 in interior renovations into the property… now, why would they do that if they’ve already sold it to Mayor Brown? Odd…)

We reached out to Mayor Brown and the Kapils; we even paid a house call. So far, radio silence.

In the meantime, Rebel News has filed several Freedom of Information requests. Stay tuned. We anticipate there will be much more to report in the weeks ahead…