PEI·NewOfficials with the Town of Three Rivers say they need to see better behaviour from high school students who visit the community rink building after staff have had to deal with repeated incidents of fighting, harassment and damage to the property. Staff at the community rink say they’re dealing with disresepctful behaviour, property damage regularlyBrittany Spencer · CBC News · Posted: Dec 12, 2025 11:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 29 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Staff at the community centre say while the majority of students who visit behave well, incidents of disrespectful and unsafe behaviour have been getting worse. (Laura Meader/CBC)Officials with the Town of Three Rivers say they need to see better behaviour from high school students who visit the community rink building.The town’s chief administrative officer John Jamieson sent out a message to families of students at Montague Regional High School saying staff at the Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre have reported “repeated incidents of inappropriate and unsafe behaviour by some students during the noon period.” It said staff have been dealing with repeated incidents of fighting, harassment and damage to the property.The town has now implemented a student code of conduct at the arena and said if students cannot follow the rules and treat staff and patrons with respect it has no choice but to start banning some kids from the facility. Staff at the community centre, including Shannan Burnside, a cook at the Burgers and Blue Jeans Canteen said while the majority of students who visit behave well, lately incidents of disrespectful and unsafe behaviour have been getting worse. Shannan Burnside, a cook at the Burgers and Blue Jeans Canteen says in some cases fights escalate to the point that young people are hurt and bleeding and staff have to intervene to help. (Laura Meader/CBC)“Some days are pretty bad, when they’re fighting and, you know, we have to get the police involved,” she said. In some cases, fights escalate to the point that young people are hurt and bleeding and staff have to intervene, she said. “They get jumped outside and then we bring them in and clean them up in the first aid room.” She said it can be a distressing environment to work in and all staff are glad the town is getting involved. “I think it’s wonderful, because we can only do so much as a business,” she said. “We’re all a community here, we’re all helping trying to look after all these kids. We’re a community centre, and you know, you don’t want to ruin it for all the kids, but they need to be respectful.”Two young people banned so farThe message from the town said if students fail to follow the code of conduct and poor behaviour continues, it may go as far as “restricting or eliminating student access to the arena during the noon period” or “removing the lunch area entirely.”The town has now implemented a student code of conduct at the arena and says if students cannot follow the rules and treat staff and patrons with respect it has no choice but to start banning some kids from the facility. (Laura Meader/CBC)In an email to CBC News, Gavin Moore, the media relations officer for the P.E.I. RCMP said police are working closely with the town and staff at the high school to address the issues. “We continue to have an open dialogue with schools, council and students to help ensure everyone knows what to expect and how to respond should further incidents arise,” Moore said. He said two young people have recently been issued trespass notices.ABOUT THE AUTHORBrittany Spencer is a multi-platform reporter and producer with CBC Prince Edward Island. She’s covered politics, health care and the justice system. She’s a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s journalism program and joined CBC in 2017. You can reach her at brittany.spencer@cbc.caWith files from Laura Meader
Town of Three Rivers says students could face ban from community rink after incidents of fighting, harassment
