Northern Ontario arena evacuated, closed after snow load damage

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Heavy snow damages northern Ontario arena

Snow load to blame for commercial building collapse in Kapuskasing

The Town of Kapuskasing was forced to evacuate its Sports Palace over the weekend after heavy snow caused visible structural damage to the south side of the building, forcing the cancellation of a major annual fundraising tournament.

Mayor Dave Plourde said the damage occurred in a gap between the arena and an adjacent curling club.

“On the south side of that structure there’s a curling club and there’s a space between the buildings but linked with a hallway so it doesn’t share the roof so to speak,” Plourde said.

“So, between the buildings there’s space there enough to build up snow and I guess the pressure of the snow between both buildings cause the wall between the retaining beams to come in.”

Plourde said the wall came in an estimated six to eight inches.

“So yeah, it was enough to at least question whether or not we could continue to be in there. So that’s why the evacuation took place,” he said.

All activities cancelled until further notice

All activities and events at the municipally owned facility have been cancelled until further notice. Staff are working with engineers to determine next steps.

The arena was built in the early 1970s. The south side has very little seating and is connected to the curling club by a hallway, with a gap between the two roofs where snow accumulated.

Plourde said the heavy snow is not an isolated problem in the community.

“Just early last week, there was another facility in Kapuskasing, our local cultural centre, experienced some roof damage there causing it to close,” he said.

“We’ve had a collapse of a local bowling alley that was being used as a storage facility.”

Mining company covers lost fundraiser

The cancelled event was the annual Kap Gives Back tournament, which was to raise money for the local hospital’s chemotherapy department, North Centennial Manor, the local food bank and the Kapuskasing Flyers hockey club.

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. has donated $60,000 to cover the losses.

Mayor Dave Plourde expressed appreciation for the timely support.

“On behalf of council and the entire community, we sincerely thank Agnico Eagle for stepping forward during an unexpected and challenging situation,” Plourde said in a news release over the weekend.

“This generous contribution demonstrates the strength of community partnerships and the importance of supporting one another when circumstances change.”