Once a busy community hub for local hockey and curling teams where cheers rang out over two ice sheets, Port Alice’s Doug Bondue Ice Arena today sits empty and quiet, a victim of the pulp mill shutting down for good in early 2019.
But the village, which has decades of experience in facing uncertainty, is looking to the future by commissioning a feasibility study on how the arena could be repurposed for economic development. The opportunity closes today.
Port Alice is seeking an evaluation of the building’s condition, a public consultation process and a report on businesses and industries that could operate in the space, including but not limited to agriculture and aquaculture.
“We are very open” to possibilities, Ryan Nicholson, village economic development officer, said Thursday.
The arena is a large space holding a hockey slab, curling rink, change rooms, lobby, concession and a lounge. The ice plant remains but the ammonia used in the past has been taken out.
Port Alice is still rebounding from the loss of its main employer which provided 400 jobs and was responsible for 70 per cent of the property taxes.
When Neucel Specialty Cellulose, belonging to the Canadian arm of the Chinese company Fulida, didn’t pay its taxes in 2018, the village announced it could not afford to open the hockey arena that winter.
The 1916 mill had gone through other closings during its lifespan. Earlier owners shut the facility down in 2004 amid financial troubles. New owners reopened the mill in 2006 and Fulida bought the property in 2011.
But it too ran into financial challenges and the mill was idled in 2015, leaving only a skeleton crew on site. Its permanent closing was announced in 2019.
Neucel was declared bankrupt in 2020 leaving debts of $272 million, including $1.8 million owed to the village.
Port Alice’s public works department has been maintaining the arena since it closed, Nicholson said.
Hockey players now head to Port McNeill or Port Hardy for ice time. The village’s community centre presents a wide range of activities for residents but has no ice rinks any more.
At times, especially during poor weather, the community centre will bring children into the space for activities, such as riding bicycles or scooters.
Since Port Alice joined the ranks of small Island communities whose mills were closed, it has been working on recovery.
The village’s population is growing again. At one time, Port Alice had 1,700 residents but that was decades ago when a strong resource base and markets supported mills in small communities around Vancouver Island.
A total of 739 residents were counted in the 2021 census, up by 11 per cent from 2016 as young families, people working from home thanks to access to high-speed internet and retirees moved to the community on northern Vancouver Island. The village hugs the waterfront along Neroutsos Inlet and is located in a spectacular setting with a rugged landscape.
The receiver for the defunct mill provides employment to local residents, helping to keep jobs in the community as long-term environmental remediation of the site continues.
Today, tourism is increasing, in large part because of off-road enthusiasts, Nicolson said. This includes dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles and mountain bikes.
They take advantage of a vast number of forest roads in the region, all open and not gated, he said.
Visitors also heading out on the water for a variety of experiences including kayaking, paddleboarding and wildlife viewing.
COVID brought new tourists to the area from down Island and the mainland. The region attracts many Europeans, he said.
“We are pretty happy with the way things are going,” said Nicolson, noting that the community is continuing to rebuild after the mill’s closing.
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