The ice oval gets a chance
Vision planning
A few times this year I’ve remarked on the absolute dedication and optimism of the folks who run the Prince George outdoor Ice Oval. There have been days where they are out for hours grooming the ice for a day or less of skateable weather before it melts or, like now, out in the deep cold.
But there’s less cold than there used to be, it’s less dependable, and by all predictions there will be less of it. Here’s a chart
So for years they’ve been hoping to get a cooling system to help make ice even when it’s not staying below zero — a bit of insurance, similar to how both the Hart ski hill and Caledonia Nordic cross-country have snow machines. And this week, a bit of hope that a cooling system could become a reality:
The Ice Oval Society’s ask to Council was to direct staff to facilitate the development of a comprehensive estimate of capital and operating costs of refrigeration, including options that could promote summer use, and to have refrigeration added to the unfunded capital projects list.
“This estimate of the project cost could position us quite well for future funding programs similar to the strategic priorities fund,” Lewis said.
“It would also provide solid data for future budget discussions and for fundraising.”
Lewis added a refrigerated outdoor ice oval in Halifax provides skating at up to ten degrees Celsius.
“Refrigeration would extend our season considerably, and would avoid the in-season thaw periods that require us to rebuild the ice,” she explained.
Lewis also said the society would contribute some of the funds they’ve already raised for refrigeration already to help with preparing the estimate.
Council voted in favour of the project. Mayor Simon Yu, as his tendency, yes-anded the proposal, saying that it’s not ambitious enough:
“There’s still a huge piece of field in the middle, I can think of multiple things, we can turn this facility, not only as an Ice Oval, but perhaps during the heat of the summer, we can use this whole facility for something else as well,” Yu said.
“While the staff will develop the refrigeration, the key piece, the cost estimate, but I would like to see that staff don’t limit our imagination just to the ice oval.”
Speaking of the current cold, it’s sticking around and dipping further. Shelters are seeing high traffic and CKPG is reporting one person may have frozen to death, though, looking at the reporting it’s a bit of a leap - the police just say they found a body, and it’s non-supsicious, and they jump to talking about the cold. It’s certainly possible and even likely, I just don’t see them showing their work on how they got there. Still, be safe and if you can support those who are more vulnerable, now’s a good time.
A 2025 Vision Statement
Vision statements — a stated set of goals or values for an organization — can be hit or miss. Written well, they can be fairly illuminating, in my view. Google, for example, is “To provide access to the world’s information in one click” (written before they were overrun with AI slop and garbage sites), Disney’s is “To make people happy.” I’ve been charted with helping write one or two in my time and one thing that stood out was the importance of having them be brief — one or maybe two sentences — and clearly define where you want your organization to go. Anyways, here’s the draft statement for Prince George’s Official Community Plan:
“Our community is the “Gathering Place” of the north, specifically a confluence where people, cultures, regional economies, transportation, and river systems come together.
In 2050, the City of Prince George will be rich in cultural diversity, honour our heritage, and celebrate a high quality of life surrounded by natural beauty. Our community will have a vibrant urban core, and a diverse local economy that attracts new businesses, amenities, and emerging technologies. This community recognizes that to ensure resilience, we must collectively protect our environment, strategically invest in cost-effective infrastructure, and manage growth. This will assure us to be the “Gathering Place” and a confluence of the north.”
I don’t dislike it, honestly, and I recognize that a local government is going to naturally be bogged down with more people to please than a corporate entity. 63 per cent of respondents in consultations on it liked it, while 22 per cent were neutral, so that’s pretty decent.
Now that I’m reading this article on the official community plan further, I’m going to have to make note of once again mayor Simon Yu accusing city staff of not being ambitious enough:
“Is it visionary enough for us, as a city, to become a great city? In my opinion, it’s no.”
News roundup:
Third annual event to share hugs and honour loved ones in Prince George.
BC sees 13% year-over-year decline in overdose deaths; PG tallies 110 in 2024.
New program makes swimming more accessible for people with sensory sensitivities.
Prince George Community Foundation announces new grant recipients: Hart Highland Winter Club, Rotary Club, Child Development Centre, PG Humane Society.
Problem with bylaw wording means another delay for Guay Road hearing.
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Send feedback by emailing northerncapitalnews@gmail.com. Find me online at akurjata.ca.
Good to hear of the "optimism of the folks who run the Prince George outdoor Ice Oval"