[PHOTOS] Quebec City: Discover the interior of the Intact Assurance Ice Center

Regis LaBoume insisted that the Ice Center, which will open its doors at the end of the summer, will not be limited to the elite sports.

This is the message that the mayor of Quebec brought to his home Wednesday morning during a guided tour of the infrastructure located in Sainte-Foy that is now “90-95% complete”.

“Fourteen years ago, (Ice Center) was my first (elective) commitment. The popular aspect of it is important. There are people who always bring back the fact that it was built only for the elite. And he emphasized that this is wrong.

Each week, about 21 hours of free skating will also be reserved for Quebec residents.

On August 28 and 29, residents will be invited to a “party” to celebrate the opening of the Ice Center. Details of this event will be determined later due to the health context that changes from week to week.

In the mayor’s eyes, it was also about “fixing the historical injustice” that saw many speed skating champions emerge from Quebec even if the rally did not have such modern indoor infrastructure.

Ice Center for sound insurance

On the other hand, Quebec City has announced an agreement under which the equipment will henceforth be called the Ice Center for Proper Insurance. We learned that the agreement would last at least 10 years. However, the financial details of this partnership were not disclosed.

On the sporting front, we have confirmed that the Four Continents Championship will be held in January 2023 at the Ice Center. A few weeks later, it is also planned that the World Masters Championships (that is, 35 and over) will be held there.

The Ice Center cost $68.7 million in funding in three equal parts ($22.9 million) by Quebec City and the federal and provincial governments. The municipality will largely bear the estimated annual maintenance costs of $1.4 million.

“It is a public interest that is managed like the public good. But we wanted to keep the private aspect, among other things, so that we could negotiate the right to name the building and we wanted to leave the management of the competition track to people who know about it,” explained the mayor of Quebec, referring to the role it would play Foundation management of this infrastructure.

Budget was respected, but late delivery

You have already respected the budget of the building, But the delivery will be a year late compared to the initial schedule.

The equipment will eventually become a sports complex that includes the Sainte-Foy sports center and the former Gaétan-Boucher circuit, united in one device, including five ice creams.

Ice Center

• At the heart of the 400-meter rink is an Olympic-size rink, one for short track speed skating and the other for figure skating, hockey and other ice sports.
• A sports track consisting of three lanes, with full hurdles and a length of 465 meters that surrounds its entirety.
• In addition to these new facilities, there is a skating rink of North American proportions located in the former Sainte-Foy Sports Center.
• The Ice Safe Insurance Center will be the only building of its kind in eastern North America; Other ice rings of this size have been found in Calgary, Fort Saint John, Milwaukee, and Salt Lake City.

Source: Quebec City