Civic Arena

Vernon Farmers’ Market disappointed with arena vote

VERNON - The manager of the Vernon Farmers' Market believes some vendors will feel the squeeze as the group downsizes for upcoming arena construction. Manager Ingrid Baron is expecting the market will need to shrink by a third to fit into reduced parking lot space at Kal Tire Place while the facility is expanded. Greater...

Voters to decide fate of Vernon arena project in coming days

VERNON - Voters will have their say on a new arena this Saturday, but as they prepare to head to the polls, over 2,000 people have already cast their ballots in advance polls. “I think those numbers are even better than the general municipal election we had,” Vernon mayor Akbal Mund says. “That’s encouraging in...

Advocate likens cost of a new Vernon arena to a monthly cup of coffee

VERNON - A number of businesses, sports groups and community members came out to show their support for a new arena in Vernon. Representatives from the Vernon Vipers, Greater Vernon Minor Hockey, the Vernon Figure Skating Club, the Prestige Hotel, Super 8 and Village Green, among others, came together at a news conference Monday, Nov....

Piece by piece, Vernon’s Civic Arena is literally falling apart: City

VERNON - Cracked walls, crumbling concrete and a heaving floor are among a long list of problems plaguing the Civic Arena in Vernon. Bit by bit, the 77-year-old arena is falling apart, says Vernon recreation services manager Doug Ross. “Just as you repair one thing, something else crops up,” Ross says. Cracks in the floor...

Building a new arena is in the hands of Greater Vernon voters

VERNON - Greater Vernon residents will head to the polls to vote on a new arena next month. A referendum is set for Nov. 28 which will ask voters to borrow $13.2 million to decommission the Civic Arena and add a second arena at Kal Tire Place. “Civic has served its purpose, its time is...

Vernon MLA disappointed by arena ‘hiccup’, says minister is on it personally

VERNON - Vernon’s MLA isn’t happy about ongoing delays surrounding a referendum for a new ice sheet.  The provincial government rejected, for a second time, a referendum proposal from the City of Vernon and the North Okanagan Regional District, putting the initiative even further behind schedule. Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster says he’s ‘disappointed with how...

Ongoing delays for new Vernon ice sheet costing taxpayers: Mayor

VERNON - Red tape continues to delay a borrowing referendum for a new ice rink in Vernon. The North Okanagan Regional District still doesn’t have authorization from the provincial government to hold a referendum asking voters to borrow up to $13 million to decommission the aging Civic Arena and build a second ice sheet at...

Future of Civic Arena unclear if Vernon’s ice sheet referendum succeeds

VERNON - As the conversation around a new ice rink in Vernon continues to move ahead, some are wondering what that means for the historic arena it would be replacing. When the Civic Arena was constructed in 1938, it was the first indoor ice rink in the Okanagan Valley. In April of that year, the...