{"id":1480,"date":"2025-07-08T14:05:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northhatley.info\/?p=1480"},"modified":"2025-07-09T09:49:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T13:49:14","slug":"a-magnificent-refrigerated-skating-rink-coming-soon-to-north-hatley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northhatley.info\/en\/2025\/07\/08\/a-magnificent-refrigerated-skating-rink-coming-soon-to-north-hatley\/","title":{"rendered":"A magnificent refrigerated skating rink coming soon to North Hatley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Featured photo is the skating rink at Parc Haendel in Candiac.
Photo credit: Nordic Structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, the refrigerated skating rink with a roof in North Hatley is an incredible architectural project that will add \u201cpanache\u201d to North Hatley. Especially in winter, the area is somewhat lacking in activities! What’s more, our winters are very variable with climate change, and the traditional skating rink is used less and less. It’s always sad to see the rink flooded during the holiday season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a refrigerated rink is a dream project for many municipalities. In fact, more and more municipalities are opting for a refrigerated rink. To everyone’s delight, North Hatley is about to get its very own! WOW! A community of just 675 inhabitants with its own refrigerated skating rink!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t know what the rink will look like, but here are a few examples of refrigerated rinks in Quebec. It’s enough to make you dream! As they say, it’s really WOW!
Photo credit: Nordic Structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parc Haendel, Candiac
Designed by Nordic Structure<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit : Nordic Structure<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parc Victoria, Ville de Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit : Ville de Qu\u00e9bec<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pac Dawson, Dorval<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit : Ville de Dorval<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saphirs, Boischatel,\u00a0
Designed by ABCP architecture<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credit: St\u00e9phane Groleau<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we afford such a rink?
Obviously, does the municipality of North Hatley have the means to maintain such a refrigerated rink? To put it another way, getting a Ferrari is all well and good, but you have to have the means to run it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The municipality of North Hatley has a population of only 675, and we’re still struggling with our debts. Despite rumors that they’ll be ending soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you’re given a Ferrari refrigerated skating rink, you have to assess whether you can afford to run it tomorrow and for years to come. A simple oil change on a Ferrari costs between $800 and $3000. So when the transmission breaks, imagine the price! When you can afford it, you don’t worry about the budget. When you can’t afford it, or when your budget explodes, the Ferrari can quickly become a nightmare!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, I’m confident that the Municipality of North Hatley has properly planned for all implementation and operating costs, using a proper budget with reliable sources of operating costs for rinks comparable to the one it intends to implement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we must remain cautious. Even the city of Sherbrooke admits to having made a mistake in its initial calculation of projected operating costs for its bleu blanc rouge refrigerated rink. Sherbrooke had initially forecast operating costs of $45,000 per year. In 2018, it was $130,610.<\/a>, three times more than expected. Imagine today with post-pandemic inflation! That’s over $150,000 a year. And, people in Sherbrooke aren’t any crazier or brighter than people in North Hatley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way, here are some basic questions about the refrigerated rink:<\/p>\n\n\n\n