Important Arena Update from Acting Mayor Wannan

Important Update from Acting Mayor Wannan Regarding Centennial Arena

In an effort to prioritize the safety of everyone in our community, the City of Elliot Lake has made the difficult decision to immediately close public access to Centennial Arena.

Five years ago, the City invested substantially in repairs to the arena so that we could continue to make use of the facility.

Part of our investment included regular monitoring of structural stability by engineers. During the inspection that took place on Monday, September 11, 2023, we were advised that a closer, and more extensive examination of the wood structure is needed. We have asked the consultants to provide us with a plan to continue that investigation and we expect to have further details in the coming weeks.

What we know right now is that it isn’t safe to continue using the arena for the time being.

While it is possible this could negatively impact the remainder of the hockey and skating seasons, we will update the community with information as it becomes available.

Unfortunately, this forces me, and my Council colleagues, to make the very difficult, but necessary decision to close the arena for the foreseeable future.

What this means for you:

Effective Immediately

• All programming at Centennial Arena is postponed.
• This includes our Jr. A team, Minor Hockey, Figure Skating, Public Skating, In-house Programming and any private rentals.
• Centennial Arena will only be accessible to staff, and only while wearing appropriate protective equipment. We will be making arrangements for any necessary sports equipment that is currently stored at the arena to be picked up under safe conditions.  
• We will be assisting all impacted organizations to the best of our ability in finding alternative arrangements.

I know this is not the news our community expected or wanted to hear. It certainly is not the news I wanted to have to share. But this is a hard decision made with a focus on safety.

As a community, we have been through a lot over the years. Every time we have faced adversity we have pulled together as a team. I am confident we can do the same thing now.

Thank you for your understanding,

Acting Mayor Andrew Wannan