A temporary closure that stretches for two years

At a time when Quebec wants to revive the practice of hockey, citizens of Mile-End, in Montreal, deplore the fact that their neighborhood arena has been closed for two years and fear that it will not be possible to practice ice sports there for years. .

“It was a meeting place where young people could go to play sports, not out of pressure, but for pleasure”, laments Stéphanie Simard, mother of an 11-year-old girl, who worries about the long-term consequences. end of the extended closure of this skating rink in the Le Plateau–Mont-Royal borough.

Since the start of the pandemic, no resident of this central district of Montreal has been able to cross the doors of the Saint-Louis arena, rue Saint-Dominique, renowned for its vocation as a mecca for women’s sport on ice.

All competitive sports activities have been relocated nearly four kilometers away, to the Mont-Royal arena, which has no parking lot.

Lack of accessibility

The motivation of young people takes a hit, according to Claude-André Bois.

“Now there is less ice time, practices are earlier. When you arrive at a practice at 7 a.m., instead of having 12 players, there are four,” explains the father of four children, three of whom play hockey.

For Claire Cohalan, who has attended the Saint-Louis arena all her life, having access to a nearby arena is essential to promote initiation to the sport.

“When your child is five, it’s not true that you’re going to cross the entire borough to try a new sport, you’re going to try it if it’s convenient for you,” she says.

Closed for two years, the arena is not close to regaining its original vocation, concedes borough councilor Marie Sterlin.

The latter explains that modernization work on the refrigeration system was to be carried out in 2017, but was delayed due to a scarcity of ammonia, a less polluting gas than the freon currently used.

Today, the work, which should last about two years, has still not started.

Cost explosion

“It’s long because of an explosion of costs, explains M^me Sterling, I know that we are around 17 to 18 million, but the sinews of war is money. »

However, she assures that the arena will regain its vocation as a Mecca for women’s sport on ice in Montreal.

“Girls need specific places to practice their sport, this vocation has never been questioned”, she says

In the meantime, the building should be able to be used for sports that do not require an icy surface. The counselor hopes for an opening towards the end of the summer.