British ColumbiaThe City of Penticton is looking to build a new $70-million ice arena. The proposal, if approved by council would involve demolishing the Memorial Arena, which was built in the 1950s, and replacing it with two rinks. The city aims to finish the facility by 2030, replacing a rink built in the 1950sTiffany Goodwein · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesA design rendering of the proposed arena facility in Penticton B.C. (City of Penticton )With two aging arena facilities and ice time in high demand, the City of Penticton is considering a new multimillion-dollar facility. The proposed plan includes an arena with two rinks, which would be connected to the South Okanagan Events Centre on the west side. If approved, the plan will make ice available to skaters year-round. That would make a big difference for local figure skaters, who train at McLaren Arena but are kicked out during the spring when the rink is converted into a dryland facility for lacrosse teams. Noa Kan, a 15-year-old competitive figure skater with the Glengarry Skating Club, said the reduced training time puts skaters like herself at a disadvantage compared to skaters in other B.C. cities. “The Kelowna and Vancouver area have training centres, they have ice multiple hours a day, and for us we get this limited ice time of about two hours,” she said. Kan said sometimes skaters lose their jumps, because of the time they have to take away from the ice.Her club’s head coach, Trevor Buttenham, said a new ice facility has been a long time coming. The McLaren Arena was built in the 1970s and has a rink that is smaller than what skaters have to compete on.”So their programs are built and conditioned for a smaller ice surface than what they actually use, so that’s not ideal from a training perspective,” Buttenham said. The Glengarry Skating Club has also grown from 110 members in 2013 to over 420 last year. Buttenham said he’s looking forward to them having more space.Part of the proposed plan includes demolishing the Memorial Arena, which was built in the 1950s, while converting the McLaren Arena into a curling facility.The total cost of the proposal is roughly $70 million, which includes a significant contingency fund, according to the city’s general manager of community services, Kelsey Johnson.She said the base cost actually sits around $50 million, but that they’re accounting for potential cost escalation between the time they begin the design and start construction. Under the proposed recommendations, Memorial Arena on Power Street would be demolished. (Tiffany Goodwein/CBC )Plans for a new arena began roughly 10 years ago when a task force was formed, and a feasibility study took place. The report recommended replacing the two aging rinks, and adding a third. Johnson said the city is considering adding that rink at some point in the future. Council heard the proposed recommendations at a regular council meeting earlier this month. “It might look like a third sheet of ice somewhere else or it could be in a neighbouring community, so we are certainly aware that the demand is going to continue to grow,” Johnson said. The city is proposing a 6.26 per cent property tax increase for 2026, with $500,0000 earmarked for the early design plans of the arena and public engagement. An open house about the facility and the city’s upcoming budget will be held at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre on Oct. 29 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Council will debate the proposed budget in November. ABOUT THE AUTHORTiffany Goodwein is an award-winning journalist focused on covering Penticton and the south Okanagan area of British Columbia. She previously spent six years reporting in Alberta and is happy to be back home in B.C., where she grew up. You can contact her at tiffany.goodwein@cbc.ca
Penticton considering $70M arena replacement project as skaters push for fresh ice
