Future of only indoor rink in Whitney Pier, N.S., in jeopardy

Home to many memories for over five decades, the future of a beloved Cape Breton arena appears to be on thin ice.

Over the past 55 years, the Whitney Pier Rink has been a common place for local athletes and the community to skate.

"It's memories, mostly," said Dave ‘Chipper’ Gillis, a board member and self-described longtime rink rat. "A lot of guys have been playing here like I have since they were seven, eight-years-old."

"Aging equipment is our problem," said Dave Hawco, who is the rink operator. "We're a 55-year-old rink, and we're running off some of the same compressors and stuff that we had when we opened."

The rink was originally built years ago by members of the community. Now, it's run by a volunteer board and on volunteer-raised dollars.

Lately, they've had trouble making ends meet and say the operation of the rink can't continue as it has been.

"If we don't get funding sometime in the next year or two, we're going to be in serious trouble for sure," Hawco said.

In recent years, other rinks around Cape Breton Regional Municipality of similar size - and age - have closed their doors.

This rink has had some near-misses of its own, but its sentimental value has earned it a lifeline.

The people there say it's not just a place to skate - but one of the community's few remaining anchors.

"We just don't want to lose too much else here in our community, because there's not much left to lose," Hawco said.

The rink's board members are asking for help from those who have used the ice in the past and continue to do so.

From donations to ad space along the boards, their hope is the community can step up once again.

"We're currently going to try to send out some donation cards," Gillis said. "Maybe to get people in the community who grew up playing here like I did, who might be able to help support us."

Board members also hope for financial help through grants.

They say even at the best of times, they barely break even.

Although they have to fix equipment themselves and scrape together the money to operate, they'll run the facility as long as they can.

"We do it for the community, for the kids," Hawco said. “For the hockey associations that really need the extra ice time. Without us, a lot of them just don’t have a place to go."