The Prince Rupert Minor Hockey Association (PRMHA) has received a financial boost from TransCanada, a North American energy company based in Calgary.
Ten thousand dollars was donated to the PRMHA earlier in the year as TransCanada added its name to the list of PRMHA’s sponsors for the 2014-15 season. A new banner has been posted above the entrance way for Rampage games in its name.
“They’ve asked us to do as we see fit with the money in any way that can benefit the hockey season for everybody and so that’s what we’ve done,” said PRMHA vice-president Tanya Ostrom last week, adding that the money went towards purchasing the new Zamboni that is being used for the season after the civic centre’s 2008 model broke down repeatedly in the past.
“TransCanada was advised about [the need for a Zamboni] through a parent and then contacted PRMHA for more information. Even though the Zamboni was purchased before the donation was received, this did not hinder TransCanada from supporting minor hockey and the numerous ice users,” said Ostrom.
TransCanada is hopeful in its plans to build and operate a Prince Rupert gas transmission project with a 900-kilometre pipeline delivering natural gas from the District of Hudson’s Hope to the proposed facility on Lelu Island within the District of Port Edward.
“We definitely have fundraising that we do and we want to build an addition onto the arena but with the way things are going these days we haven’t been able to do that so this money is what we needed – for the Zamboni,” Ostrom said.