Arnprior, Ont. arena set to reopen Wednesday afternoon following major leak
The Nick Smith Centre in Arnprior is set to reopen Wednesday afternoon following a major brine leak over the weekend.
Director of Recreation for the Town of Arnprior Graeme Ivory says both of the arena's ice pads will reopen Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
"It [wasn't] as aggressive of a replacement project as once thought over the weekend," Ivory told CTV News.
"Brine leaks are not necessarily uncommon. One of this size I would say is."
Brine is a non-toxic salt and water solution used to keep ice rinks frozen. The leak was first noticed Saturday during a hockey tournament. It was coming from a pipe that was original to the building's creation in 1977.
Initial estimates put the reopening of the ice pads at Feb. 1, one day before Ontario Winter Games events were set to start at the arena in Arnprior.
But the leak still caused a scheduling nightmare for local teams and organizations who needed to find open ice time in the middle of the season.
"The regular season games need to be played before the 4th of February, so we're kind of in a crunch to do that," said Angie Miller, president of the Arnprior Minor Hockey Association.
Miller says 16 games over a 10-day period in the lead up to Feb. 1 had already been rescheduled at neighbouring rinks, with another four games still needing to find ice time.
"District five goes from Arnprior to Barry's Bay to Deep River, so any rink between here and there," said Miller.
Local ringette and hockey teams even resorted to practicing on outdoor rinks where space could be found.
Ivory is now thankful the rest of the season has been saved.
"We [hoped] to be back up and running in a shorter time frame."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.