Cost of rebuilding Alberta town’s only ice rinks after explosion in the millions

EDMONTON — A hockey-loving town in southern Alberta that lost its only two ice rinks in a Zamboni explosion says it will cost millions to rebuild.

Derrin Thibault, Taber’s chief administrative officer, says council recently agreed to spend about $6 million to rebuild its large ice rink after the December blast shattered the walls around it.

The town still needs $5 million more to fix the second ice rink and the remaining parts of the community centre. It has also requested $8 million from the federal government for upgrades.

“The initial estimate was about $11 million to put things back the way they were. That’s not building new; that’s putting things back,” Thibault said in a phone interview.

“There’s quite a substantial gap.”

The town has said it was propane leaking from a Zamboni that set off the blast.

The leak was ignited by a nearby electric heater, creating the fireball that shattered glass around the ice rinks, damaged the roof, toppled concrete walls and bricks, and hit gas lines.

Security footage shows the community centre’s large garage door torn from its hinges and flying forward as the ball of flames exits the building.

More than a dozen people were inside at the time of explosion, mostly in change rooms. No one was harmed.

Thibault said part of the rebuild includes removing asbestos discovered in an initial inspection. The structure of the building remained intact.

Full cleanup of the debris is set to finish next month. Thibault said the town will then conduct a second inspection.

A bit of relief surfaced over the weekend, when Taber was named a provincial winner in this year’s Kraft Hockeyville competition. The town is to receive $50,000, or more if it’s announced as a finalist. The award, from Kraft Heinz, the NHL and the NHL’s players association, helps communities upgrade rinks based on a range of criteria, including need and community spirit.

“The (prize) money is not that much compared to how much it’s going to cost to repair everything. It sure is a nice boost for the community to get the recognition,” Thibault said.

Since the explosion, he added, hockey players and other ice enthusiasts have been going to rinks in other communities to practise and play.

“It’s just meant more travel,” he said.

Alberta’s municipal affairs minister said the province would also be happy to talk to Taber about funding its rebuild.

“There are a number of different programs between Culture (and) Sport and Tourism that can support programs just like this,” Dan Williams said at an unrelated press conference Monday.

“And I’d encourage them to apply to those. I’m happy to work with them to that end.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press