'It's a long time coming': St. James Civic Centre reopens after two years of construction and delays

The city has partially reopened the St. James Civic Centre – a welcome announcement for community residents left waiting more than two years for a project marred with delays.

The $10.1 million project brings critical mechanical and electrical systems upgrades to the centre, including two new roofs, a repaired concrete arena slab, and a fire suppression system. It also beefs up accessibility, with a new arena entrance, accessible washrooms, and a universal toilet room.

The city said the Ab McDonald Arena is expected to reopen to the public on September 25.

"We're super excited – it's a long time coming," said Justin Steeves, president of the St. James Jr. Canucks. "We're extremely excited to get back to the civic centre."

The hockey team had been playing out of the St. James Civic Centre for 42 seasons before the 56-year-old centre was closed at the beginning of April 2020.

"Originally, we were told that it was going to be six months or something like that. And of course, it went way longer than expected," Steeves said.

During the reopening ceremony on Tuesday, Coun. Scott Gillingham (St. James) said the project did face several setbacks and delays.

These delays pushed the civic centre's reopening – originally scheduled for the fall of 2021 – back by nearly a year.

Work on the project halted in July 2021 after hazardous silica dust was released in the centre's crawlspace. Work resumed in late summer of 2021, but not for long. A second release of silica dust happened in November 2021, forcing work to stop again.

Geoff Patton, the city’s director of assets and project management, told the city's finance committee in February the crawlspace contractor was being charged $2,000 a day as a result of the delays.

He said the city was also planning to pursue further damages in court as a result of the silica dust release and delays to the project work.

Patton said at the time the overall project was under review, and added there was a risk the project's cost would exceed the current budget.

A spokesperson for the city told CTV News in an email they are not able to confirm the final project costs at this time. They said any additional costs incurred due to the delays caused by the contractor will be pursued by the city.

Steeves said it has been difficult for the team to be without a home for more than two years, having to share space with multiple different teams at one time.

"Luckily, the Keith Bodley Arena took us in – a very, very good community arena run by very good people. They treated us very well," he said.

Still, Steeves said the team is looking forward to getting back into their home ice. They have their first practice in the centre scheduled for Sept. 26, with the home opener scheduled for Oct. 7.

Mayor Brian Bowman said he understands many people were impacted by the prolonged closure of the civic centre.

"I'd like to thank the community for their patience as the much-needed upgrades were made to this facility," said Mayor Brian Bowman during the reopening.

"Many residents of St. James, as Councillor Gillingham has noted, have been waiting for this facility to reopen, and I know today's announcement really is a relief because it will signal a return to normal activity this fall and winter."