Western Financial Place
The Western Financial Place (formerly known as the Cranbrook Recreational Complex) is a 4,268-seat (plus 352 standing room)[3] arena and an aquatics centre which is located in East Kootenay Cranbrook, British Columbia. Western Financial Place is a multi-purpose recreational facility. The arena is a standardised National Hockey League size rink at 200 feet long and 85 feet wide.
| Location | 1777 2nd Street North Cranbrook, British Columbia V1C 7G9 |
|---|---|
| Owner | City of Cranbrook |
| Operator | City of Cranbrook |
| Capacity | Hockey: 4,654 Concerts: 6,000 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1998 |
| Opened | October 13, 2000 |
| Construction cost | $22.6 million[1] ($33.5 million in 2021 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | Vic Davies Architect (2003) Ltd. PBK Architects Inc. |
| General contractor | TASK Construction Management |
| Tenants | |
| Kootenay Ice (WHL) (2000–2019) Cranbrook Bucks (BCHL) (2020–) | |
It was built in 2000 and it has hosted many events and concerts since its opening. It serves as an arena for the Vancouver Canucks practice sessions, a Superdogs show, monster truck shows, a number of Champions of Skating performances and the Husky Skate the Nation performances. It also was home to the Kootenay Ice WHL major junior ice hockey team.
The arena has been the host of two circus groups. The Circus Gatti and Cirque Sublime performed their show "Adamo" here.
Closure and reopening
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the complex was forced to close in March, 2020 due to the restrictions put in place by the provincial government of British Columbia. It was announced that the complex would reopen on November 2, 2020 with strict access rules and a number of facility changes to accommodate restrictions.[4]
During the closure, the City of Cranbrook budgeted $3.55 million for the reconstruction of the roof and arena upgrades. The construction process was carried out under COVID-19 protocols and without the general public.[5]
References
- RecPlex History
- 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- "Ticket Information". Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- "City of Cranbrook set to gradually re-open Western Financial Place, Aquatic Centre". BC Local News. October 1, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- Jones, Bradley (June 10, 2020). "Western Financial Place roof replacement and arena upgrades on schedule". My East Kootenay Now. Retrieved April 10, 2021.