Calling on Whitehorse residents via colourful bristol board signs to “Say no to dog poop” while also letting everyone know “Gopher holes break ankles,” supporters of the proposed outdoor sports complex in Whistle Bend gathered outside city hall Thursday afternoon.

They were there to protest Monday’s vote by city council which defeated the zoning needed for the project to go ahead.

The vote on the rezoning was actually split 3-3, but any tie vote by council is automatically defeated.

While Mayor Dan Curtis (who attended via conference call), deputy mayor Mike Gladish and Coun. Betty Irwin voted against the rezoning, councillors John Streicker, Dave Stockdale and Jocelyn Curteanu voted in favour.

The tie vote came after council initially voted 4-2 in favour of amended zoning boundaries that would have allowed Phase 1 of the sports complex – two soccer fields and a track facility built to international competition standards – to proceed.

Curtis had voted in favour of the amendment, but then voted against second reading of the rezoning. He later explained that while he supported the new boundaries, he doesn’t believe now is the right time for the project to move ahead.

Rather, if it comes forward later, he’d prefer to see the new zoning boundaries in place.

The Yukon government is proposing to build the $8-million facility with the Yukon Outdoor Sports Complex Association set to then take over operations.

Numerous organizations and individuals - including Community Services Minister Currie Dixon - have expressed disappointment in council’s vote.

Dixon said the vote puts the project at least a year behind schedule, with the Yukon Outdoor Sports Complex Association vowing a zoning application will come forward again in the future.

As Whitehorse Minor Soccer Association president Grant Zazula pointed out during Thursday’s protest: “We’re not going anywhere. There’s an election in the fall.”

Zazula was one of about 40 supporters at the protest.

He and others continued to emphasize their point that dedicated artificial turf fields are needed in the city, pointing to poor quality of the 14 outdoor fields soccer teams play on now.

Dog poop and gopher holes have come up as continued problems for players on the multi-use fields around the city.

Others have spoken of garbage left on fields –­ including broken sprinkler heads at times – and damage to the fields by vehicles that are driven onto them.

A secure facility with dedicated soccer fields is needed, it’s been argued.

For Georgia Gaw, who plays for the U16 Strikers soccer team, the result of Monday’s vote spurred her into action. She posted the idea for the protest as an event on Facebook, not knowing how many people would turn out for the quickly organized demonstration.

“I was really happy,” she said of the response, arguing just as better soccer fields are needed so too are improved track facilities.

Putting lines down on a field does not constitute a track, Gaw said in referring to the new track put in at F.H. Collins Secondary School after the previous one was taken out for the building of the new high school now under construction.

As the protesters made their views known, Gladish and Streicker stood off to the side.

Gladish stated Monday that Whitehorse does not need a facility built to international competition standards, and raised concerns about how the facility could be operated without office space.

Yesterday, he said his view hasn’t changed, but as deputy mayor (with Curtis still away), he thought he should be there.

“We shouldn’t ignore it,” he said, noting Streicker had contacted him to see if he would attend as well.

Gladish went on to note that his presence was also a way of showing protesters that they could have their demonstration and that their points had been heard.

As the demonstration continued into the late afternoon, many protesters were seen stepping back for a moment or two to sign a petition aimed at getting council to reconsider the zoning change.

“I feel the city has really overstepped its bounds,” said Kevin Benson, whose 12-year-old and seven-year-old have each been in organized soccer since they were about five, playing on fields he described as being “in pretty poor condition.”

He argued looking at issues such as how the facility would be operated and funding went beyond the scope of what should be pondered for zoning change.

Rather than consider the zoning, the city turned the issue into a political debate, he argued, pointing out that the city wasn’t asked to spend any money on the facility.

Lisa-Marie Vowk works as the administrator for Whitehorse Minor Soccer and has racked up honours in masters athletics at the national level along with coaching running.

She noted her experience having to go to Alberta to train prior to any major competition.

“We’ve never had a track,” Vowk said.

This marks the first year where more than 50 youth have been part of athletic programs, many expressing enthusiasm over the possibility of new facilities, she added.

“If we had that (regulation) track, we could build a team,” she said.

Many young athletes in the city are disappointed that the facility is not moving forward as planned, she added.

Many involved with athletics in the city have maintained proper running facilities are needed in order for athletics programming to grow and for the development of the current athletes.

Vowk was also quick to say running is part of the training regimen for many athletes involved in other activities such as hockey.

Training for a number of sports in their off-season includes running, she said in pointing out the benefit the proposed complex would have for a number of athletes around the city.

As Thursday’s protest continued, demonstrators vowed they would not give up the fight for the sports facility.

See editorial, letter, commentary in today’s Opinion section.