Rebuilt Ice Pad Opens in Thames Centre

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rebuilt Ice Pad Opens in Thames Centre

Fully Rebuilt North Rink at the FlightExec Centre is Opens for Public Use

THAMES CENTRE – Local MPP Rob Flack joined Mayor Sharron McMillan, Councillor Danielle Lockie, and Thames Centre staff at the FlightExec Centre to officially open the newly rebuilt North Rink.

“I’m glad to see that the new North Rink is already open,” said Rob Flack, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London. “The province was proud to make this investment in Thames Centre to support healthier and more active lifestyles for local families. A new state-of-the-art rink creates more opportunities for athletes of all ages across multiple sports, and helps build a stronger community in Thames Centre.”

In June 2025 MPP Flack and the Municipality announced that Thames Centre was awarded a $1,000,000 grant from the Ontario Government to facilitate the replacement of the North Rink (also known as the CANUSA rink) at the FlightExec Centre from the province’s Community Sports and Recreation Infrastructure Fund.

This grant funding covered roughly 50% of the total project cost.

The North Rink was one of 94 projects approved by the province’s initial $200 million investment in the CSRIF. The province has since announced another $300 million in CSRIF funding earlier this year, to support building new and upgraded sports infrastructure in Ontario.

The removal of the old rink and construction of the new rink took place over the summer months, when the rink is normally offline anyways.

The new rink includes an upgraded underground cooling system and a brand new concrete base beneath the playing surface.

The fully rebuilt rink includes new boards, new player benches, and new penalty boxes. The boards and protective glass around the new rink meet current NHL safety standards.

“We are proud of the work of our staff and contractors who were able to complete this project on time, and on budget,” says Mayor McMillan. “After 50 years, it was time to build a new ice pad, and our team can be proud of the work they did to provide our community with an upgraded ice pad, and doing it fast enough so that our local sports teams didn’t miss out on any playing time.”

Residents can visit https://www.thamescentre.on.ca/ice to find out more information about ice rental costs and availability or to book ice time. If you need any assistance, please contact us at recreation@thamescentre.on.ca.

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Contact:

Michael Ramnanan
Communications Manager
mramnanan@thamescentre.on.ca
519.268-7334 ext. 258