Louis Riel Dome sports facility damaged following windy, snowy weekend

The Louis Riel Dome collapsed on Monday after last weekend’s major storm. As CTV’s Dave Charbonneau reports, leagues are now looking for other places to play.

The Louis Riel Dome recreation centre in Ottawa’s east end will be closed until further notice after sustaining serious damage during last week’s back-to-back winter storms.

The Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club says on its website the Bearbrook Road facility suffered “a complete collapse” during last weekend’s storm, when high winds and heavy snow slammed the city.

An official cause of the damage has not been released.

“At the moment, it is too early to determine the duration of this closure. Our teams are currently working to assess the extent of the required repairs. We will keep you informed as we have more information to share,” the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO) said in a letter to parents in French.

“In the meantime, we anticipate being able to use the additional spaces at the Hornet’s Nest Superdome.”

Ottawa was hit with two serious winter storms last week, getting 37.4 cm of snow over the Family Day weekend. It followed a storm that dumped 32 cm of snow on Wednesday and Thursday.

Environment Canada recorded 40 km/h winds with gusts of up to 60 km/h on Sunday.

The Ottawa Carleton Ultimate Association, an ultimate frisbee league, says the closure will have an impact on space for recreational activities, which are already high in demand.

“Because of the cancellation, we’ll just have to try and find different slots for them to play,” said Jeremy Hill, executive director for the league.

“However, all the domes are usually booked up pretty much throughout the winter, so finding multiple slots for teams to play is difficult at this time of year.”

Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney says the dome is an important part of the community, with many students in the area taking part in the Louis Riel Sports Program.

“I’m very glad everyone’s safe, but it certainly will take some effort to get that built back up again so people can get into there as soon as possible,” Tierney said.

The Louis Riel Secondary School next to the dome remains safe and opened as planned on Tuesday.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience and assure you that we are doing everything we can to ensure that the situation is restored as quickly as possible,” the CEPEO said.

The 105 x 48 metre canvas dome is described as a “multidisciplinary sports field” and offers a number of summer sports all year, including soccer, rugby and track and field.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Dave Charbonneau