'One-of-a-kind skating experience': Here's how a Regina lake was transformed into a regulation hockey rink
For the first time ever, Saskatchewan’s most popular lake is home to a regulation-size hockey rink.
The idea for the Rink on Wascana, located near the legislative building on Regina's Wascana Lake, was three years in the making.
Ryan Whippler, the acting CEO for the Provincial Capital Commission, said crews had to start with environmental testing to ensure the specific area of the lake was safe to use.
“Once we got the green light on that, it started with construction and production of the ice,” he said. “It started with our maintenance team. Their first step was testing the ice to make sure it was at least 19 inches thick.”
Crews then cleared snow off the area and began flooding the rink.
Boards, lighting, washrooms and a warming shelter were also installed at the site.
Whippler said it took about two weeks to complete from the first time crews went out to begin clearing the surface.
“The ice rink will be checked by our maintenance staff every single day to make sure the ice thickness is there. They’ll scrape it as needed and will be flooding it probably every two to three days,” Whippler said.
A team of four to six people will use pumps and lake water to flood the surface.
The rink is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and is free for the public to use.
(Gareth Dillistone/CTV Regina)
Don McMorris, minister responsible for the Provincial Capital Commission, said the rink is just one more tool to draw visitors to Wascana Park throughout the winter.
“This is a $200,000 investment which hosts a world class NHL-size rink,” McMorris said. “The Rink on Wascana will provide a one-of-a-kind skating experience with the background of our very own Legislature, which is a great photo op.”
When the rink opened on Thursday, members of Skate Regina were some of the first to test the ice.
“It’s really nice to have sunshine. We’re not used to having the sun shining on us while we’re skating. We’re usually indoors with no windows, so it’s fun. It’s a different experience, that’s for sure,” Garrett Gosselin, a member of Skate Regina, said. “It’s a good way to embrace the winter and to keep community activities rolling, because we really need that throughout the winter.”
(Gareth Dillistone/CTV News)
The Rink on Wascana will act as one hub for Regina’s upcoming Frost Festival.
The festival is mostly outdoors and features a number of winter activities, exhibits and music around the city.
As Omicron cases continue to surge across Saskatchewan, festival organizers say they are keeping a close eye on case numbers and are keeping in touch with local health officials.
“The risk of COVID-19 is as high as it’s ever been and Omicron is certainly in our city. We’re seeing cases rise and we’re seeing that put a strain on our healthcare system,” Tim Reid, co-chair of the Frost Festival, said. “We should be prepared for potential changes around health orders. Even if that doesn’t happen, we should do everything possible to augment not only our public service advisories, but our masking and physical distancing.”
Reid said at this point, the Frost Festival is still going ahead as planned.
It is scheduled to run from Feb. 4-13, with events and activities at Wascana Park, Evraz Place, Regina’s Warehouse District and downtown.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.