A campaign is underway to name the rink in the Navan Memorial Arena after the late Steve Barban who was the owner of the Navan Grads hockey team from 2007 until his untimely passing earlier this year.
Barban is largely credited for keeping the Grads in Navan. When he purchased the club from former owner Arnold Dashney in 2007, there were outside interests who wanted to buy the team and move it out of town.
After buying the Grads, Barban split his time between managing his investment company and serving as the PA announcer for the team’s home games.
Under Barban’s ownership, the Grads won the franchise’s one and only CJHL championship in 2024.
Away from the rink, Barban was heavily involved in the local community, supporting a number of initiatives. He would often sponsor competitive hockey players in need anonymously, He was a huge supporter of competitive girls’ hockey in Cumberland, and he was a lead sponsor for the U18 AAA boys’ pilot for Hockey Eastern Ontario.
The naming proposal is focused on the rink, not the Navan Memorial Centre itself much in the same way the rinks inside the Bob MacQuarrie Recereation Centre are named after former Gloucester Skating Club member and Olympic silver medalist Elizabeth Manley and the late Roger Senecal who was a long time volunteer with the Gloucester Hockey Association.
The campaign to rename the rink in Barban’s honour is being supported by the Navan Community Association and Orléans South-Navan city councillor Catherine Kitts.
The application is one of five commemor-ative naming initiatives currently being vetted by the City.
Should the application pass vetting it will be presented to a departmental working group within the Parks and Recreation Department which will be charged with either accepting or rejecting it. In almost every case the decision is a mere formality.
As part of the vetting process, members of the community have the opportunity to comment on the application by registering at engage.ottawa.ca and taking an online survey.
Members of the public have until Oct. 15 to submit their comments either in favour or against the application.
HEART OF ORLEANS HOLIDAY MARKET from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Orléans Town Centre Plaza on Centrum Blvd. 130+ vendors. Free admission. Pet friendly. Free parking. There’s always something new to discover, lots of great food to grab while you shop, and plenty of reasons to stay awhile.
TRIVIA NIGHT from 7:30 p.m. every Monday night at the Royal Oak Pub Orléans. Free to play. Prizes for the winning team! The Royal Oak Pub is located at 1981 St. Joseph Blvd. near Jeanne d’Arc. For more info visit 
TRIVIA NIGHT from 6:30 p.m. at the Stray Dog Brewing Company. Exercise your grey matter before it turns to mush over the holidays. Reservations are a must to secure your spot. Send your team name and number of people to info@straydogbrewing.ca. The Stray Dog Brewing Company is located at 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. 
CORK AND FORK FESTIVAL at the Shenkman Arts Centre – Enjoy wine tastings, local craft spirits, gourmet food, live music, and chef-led cooking demos, all in an upscale, intimate atmosphere. Choose from three sessions: • Friday, Nov. 6 | 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM • Saturday, Nov. 7 | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM • Saturday, Nov. 7 | 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
