Moncton taking over ruins of historic rink destroyed in fire almost a century ago

Moncton is taking ownership of the ruins of a large rink near downtown that was destroyed by a fire almost a century ago.

Councillors voted 10-1 Monday to accept the donation of property where the Sunny Brae rink ruins are located, south of Donald Avenue.

The motion says fencing will be installed around the site to keep people out, and that an independent engineer will assess whether a six- to nine-metre portion of the structure on the west side of the site can be saved. 

The motion directs city staff to demolish sections deemed unsafe "without delay, before or after" the change in ownership. 

Deputy Mayor Paulette Thériault, who chairs the city's heritage board, said she hopes some of the structure can be saved. 

"We had a lot of discussions about this and it was challenging to keep it, to keep the entire structure," Thériault told reporters after the vote. "So at least this is a compromise."

A city document said "keeping the entire structure would represent a major safety risk and would, therefore, be a significant liability for the city."

City staff weren't able to say Monday how quickly the city will take ownership of the site. The city has budgeted $175,000 for costs related to taking ownership of the site. 

The structure has been a ruin since 1928.

Its history is described in a listing on the Historic Places website, which is administered by Parks Canada.

The listing says R. C. Donald designed the structure with inspiration from ancient Roman arenas, like the Colosseum.

It was originally designed and built with a conical roof made of concrete. However, an inspector ordered the concrete roof removed after noticing cracks prior to opening. A wood and steel roof was installed and the rink opened in 1922. 

"Sunny Brae Rink is also designated for its tremendous influence on the social life and sporting history of Sunny Brae," the website's description states. "Besides the sheer size of the arena, the quality of the ice was held in high regard by professional, amateur and recreational skaters."

The rink was used for sports, and as a bandstand and concert venue. A 1926 performance filled the rink to its 2,000-seat capacity.

Lawren Campbell, the culture and heritage coordinator at Moncton's Resurgo Place museum, posted a series of videos in 2020 about the city's historic places. One video featured the ruins.

"So this beautiful amphitheatre, indoor rink, at the time was the largest natural ice surface in Canada," Campbell said in the video. "It was the largest indoor rink in eastern Canada. It was a big deal."

But it didn't last long. 

A fire on Feb. 26, 1928, destroyed the roof. It wasn't rebuilt, and the ring of concrete walls remained for almost 97 years.

Property records show Ernest Boudreau and Raymond Thibodeau have owned the site since 1987.

Boudreau told Radio-Canada in 2022 that he and a neighbour bought the site to preserve it. 

In 2022, they listed it for sale. Boudreau said it was time for them to sell, but he hoped the city would buy it and make it into a public space. 

The listing suggested the site could be good for redevelopment, sparking questions at the time about whether the ruins would be removed.

The land wasn't sold, and a document about Monday's council motion says the owners approached the city offering to gift it to the municipality. 

City staff say the property will become part of the route of the Panacadie Trail, which when complete will run from the riverfront to the city's north end. A boardwalk outlook near the ruins is expected to include panels with the rink's history.  

Elaine Aucoin, the city's general manager of sustainable growth and development, said that portion of the trail is still being designed and that construction should take place next year. Interpretive panels about the history of the site are also planned along the boardwalk.

Aucoin called the motion a compromise between trying to ensure the site is safe and seeking to preserve a piece of the city's history. 

Coun. Daniel Bourgeois was the only one to vote against the motion, saying he would rather the city take time to try to gather funds to preserve the ruins.

"I think we should at least try, and if it doesn't work then we'll demolish," Bourgeois said.

Information Morning - Moncton6:24The City of Moncton will soon own ruins of a rink destroyed by a fire nearly a century ago

Elaine Aucoin is the general manager of sustainable growth and development for the city of Moncton. Moncton Deputy Mayor Paulette Theriault is chair of the city's heritage board.