AWG Arena repairs underway

Repairs are underway on the soggy foundations of Iqaluit’s sinking Arctic Winter Games Arena, but funding for the work still hasn’t been entirely secured.

“We’re still in a bit of a shaky situation for funding, ”Ian Fremantle, the city’s chief administrative officer, said at a council meeting on Nov. 9. He said the city still hasn’t heard back from the AWG committee, which has $80,000 in its bank accounts the city hopes to receive.

The city also hasn’t heard back from the federal government on Community Initiatives Program funding, which would further offset the $329,000 cost of fixing the arena.

Fremantle said when he visited the site recently, about one third of the arena’s concrete surface had been removed. From what he could see, the damage to the building’s sandy foundation wasn’t as bad as he expected.

The next step will be to drill holes and pour new sand to provide a sturdy foundation.