Three Nunavut communities in line for arena upgrades

Pangnirtung’s 30-year-old arena is due for some upgrades which will prolong the skating season in the community. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HAMLET OF PANGNIRTUNG)

Soon you will be able to skate year-round in Pangnirtung and Whale Cove and Taloyoak.

That’s thanks to money from the federal and territorial governments which will cover upgrades, Lorne Kusugak, Nunavut’s minister of community and government services, May 8 in the territorial legislature.

“This is something we’ve really been looking for,” said Ron Mongeau, senior administrative officer for Pangnirtung. “I’m so happy the minister was able to announce it today.”

Pangirtung had been lobbying for upgrades to its arena, almost 30 years old, for more than two years, Mongeau said.

“Pangnirtung is the oldest municipality in Nunavut outside of Iqaluit, and we’ve got some of the oldest infrastructure,” said Mongeau, adding the hamlet is “really happy” to be given some priority to make up for deficiencies.

The three communities will share $5.2 million in upgrades, which came out of money budgeted under the territorial government’s 2008-2009 Capital Plan and from the federal Building Canada Fund.

During the upgrades, concrete slabs will be installed on the floor of each community’s arena. This will allow the buildings to be used as multi-purpose facilities for hockey and skating, and summer sports like skateboarding and soccer, Kusugak said in the legislative assembly.

A thermosyphon cooling system for each arena will also allow the communities to offer longer ice skating seasons — and this means skating may extend through the entire year in Pangnirtung.

“This will be a great advantage to the community,” said Mongeau, pointing out that his community has been able to offer little more that three months of skating in recent years due to warming weather conditions.

Much of the ice time has been devoted to hockey due to greater interest. The increased ice time will allow residents to make greater use for recreational skating, ice dancing and figure skating, he said.

“These are all things the community has wanted to do.”

All the same, Mongeau promises community hockey players are likely to offer a challenge “to the rest of Nunavut — once we have 10-month-a-year ice available.”

“Watch out,” he warned.