City adds staff, extends hours at Arnaitok Arena in the interim
Speedskaters practise at Arctic Winter Games Arena in 2024. The arena’s ice sheet will be unavailable for the next few weeks while the City of Iqaluit brings in parts to fix its broken Zambonis. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Daron Letts
Two out of three Zambonis owned by the City of Iqaluit have been parked for weeks due to “significant mechanical issues,” leaving arena users facing less opportunity for ice time for the next few weeks.
The issues were identified during a routine inspection, said Geoff Byrne, a City of Iqaluit spokesperson.
“Only one [Zamboni] remains operational, and as an electric model it requires specialized charging equipment currently available only at the Arnaitok Arena,” he said.
The city purchased its electric Zamboni in 2023.
This means the Arctic Winter Games Arena will not be accessible until the city imports a new engine for one of its machines. It’s expected to be flown in and installed by the first week of December.
“We anticipate that ice-resurfacing operations will begin returning to normal within the next two to three weeks,” Byrne said, explaining the new engine will offer a quicker fix for one Zamboni while the city works on getting parts for the other broken unit.
Because of the lack of access to the arena, user groups have experienced a reduction of approximately 2.5 hours of weekly ice time, Byrne said in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
Students at Aqsarniit Middle School and École des Trois-Soleils have lost their daytime skating sessions.
Recreation staff continue to work with youth and school groups to offer alternative ice times wherever possible, Byrne said. The city is adding extra staff at the Arnaitok Arena, extra ice time and extending hours in the meantime.
The city maintains a fleet of three Zamboni units to support ice maintenance at its two arenas. This includes a 1990 propane model, a 2000 propane model, and the electric Zamboni.
Despite recent scheduling adjustments, the Guns and Hoses charity hockey game between the city’s RCMP and firefighters is still expected to move ahead as planned at the Arnaitok Arena, beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday, Byrne said.