THUNDER BAY - Hockey arenas operated by the city of Thunder Bay are gradually reopening, but with many major sporting events cancelled for the season, the Fort William Gardens remains closed.
“Up to this point, we’ve been opening all of the arenas gradually based on the actual need for ice and our ability to staff them under the new guidelines,” said Leah Prentice, manager of community and cultural development with the city of Thunder Bay.
“At this point Fort William Gardens hasn’t opened yet but all the satellite arenas have.”
Last week, Ontario University Athletics announced it was shutting down all sanctioned sports until March 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the Lakehead University Thunderwolves hockey team, which is one of the major users of the Fort William Gardens.
“We are reviewing and confirming all of the ice needs from all of our regular users, including the Thunderwolves and in the process of finalizing the allocations based on that confirmed need,” Prentice said.
The facilities that have opened are operating under new guidelines and restrictions, including a limit of 25 spectators and limits on the number of participants, COVID-19 screening, and enhanced cleaning.
The arenas that are opened are fully staffed and Prentice said the city is reviewing the staffing needs of each facility.
“There are new demands on our team and our ability to make sure we have enough people available to do that additional work,” she said. “So that is why we’ve proceeded cautiously with opening and making sure the ice is really needed and that we have the staff to be able to open and keep those hours going for people at the facilities.”
City council will be presented with a report on the demand of ice in the city on Nov. 2.
