Sinking floor delays arena opening

Iqaluit’s Arctic Winter Games arena is closed indefinitely until the City can find a permanent way to fix the floor that is slowly sinking into the tundra.

The problem was first noticed last February. The city reacted by spending $85,000 injecting concrete into the foundation to shore up the end of the building.

By July, one end of the floor had sunk another seven inches, creating a slant that makes ice production impossible.

Compounding the problem was the discovery that some of the refrigeration pipes laid into the arena floor are well below the right depth to freeze and maintain ice. It appears that extra concrete was poured over one end of the floor after the pipes were laid, either to level the building at the construction stage, or inadvertently.

As a temporary solution, AMEC Earth and Environmental Consultants recently recommended installing a drain around the building, and doing yearly concrete injections at a cost of up to $100,000 a year.

City Council said no to the suggestion, and advised staff to look for a permanent solution.

In the meantime, the Arnaitok Complex, the old arena, is in full use and has a new schedule.