The City of Prince Rupert is not concerned about the use of ammonia in the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre Arena as the winter sports season approaches.
The ice is scheduled to be back in the arena by Sep. 4, and that it is in full compliance with WorkSafeBC standards following July’s inspections, said the city’s communications manager, Veronika Stewart, in an email.
READ MORE: Inspection report reveals multiple failures in Prince Rupert ammonia leak
“Based on both internal assessments by staff and external assessments from WorkSafeBC and Technical Safety BC, another incident as experienced in July will not happen again,” she said.
Typically, ice goes back into the arena in late July for hockey camps, but this year it was delayed due to the cancellation of the Lou Lemire Hockey Camp. Both Stewart and Prince Rupert Minor Hockey president Rosa Miller confirmed that the camp was cancelled due to low registration and not concerns about the safety of the arena.
On July 4, the Civic Centre was evacuated after an ammonia leak, which sent two people to the hospital.
Following an investigation of the incident, a report by WorkSafeBC concluded that the tank containing the ammonia was stored improperly inside a shipping container — outside the recreation centre — that did not contain any ventilation or lighting.
Prior to the leak, the city had issued a tender for an ammonia ventilation upgrade, unrelated to the incident.
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matthew.allen@thenorthernview.com
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