More hockey, more fun, longer season in Nunavut’s Coral Harbour

People in Coral Harbour can now look forward to a longer hockey and skating season thanks to major upgrades at the community’s arena.

The arena continues to use natural ice during the winter’s coldest months — usually between November and March.

But now the arena has new concrete flooring and a thermosiphon system, which releases warm air from below the concrete and pulls in cold air from outdoors to chill the rink.

“Upgrades to this important recreational facility will extend the hockey and skating season from October well into the spring,” said Community and Government Services Minister Lorne Kusugak in a March 2 Government of Nunavut news release.

Kusugak, along with Premier Eva Aariak and local MLA Johnny Ningeongan, attended the opening of the new arena March 2.

“This technology has now become the standard for building new arenas across Nunavut to address climate change,” Kusugak said. “It will ensure Nunavummiut benefit from a full hockey season every year where this system is present.”

In 2009, Nunavut’s department of Community and Government Services did feasibility studies in both Arviat and Coral Harbour to look at how to extend the ice season.

Since the study identified thermosiphon technology as an efficient way to cool rinks in Nunavut, a number of communities have made similar upgrades, including Arviat, Igloolik and Sanikiluaq.

Repulse Bay, Resolute Bay and Pond Inlet have also recently opened brand new arenas using thermosiphon technology.

The GN says the Coral Harbour upgrades cost $2.05 million.