Lake Banook judges' tower in Dartmouth getting $2.5M rebuild for canoe, kayak events

Workers are hammering away on the waters of Lake Banook in Dartmouth, N.S., to bring its distinctive judges' tower into the 21st century.

The 1987 building is being modernized to accommodate the technology now used in canoe and kayak races. It was originally built for the 1989 junior world championships.

"The idea here is this building will last for the next 40 years," said Stephen Gallant, vice-chair of Canoe 22.

Gallant's group was behind the Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships this past summer.

He said the original plan was to have the new tower ready in time for those games, "but the world didn't agree with us." Gallant said the COVID-19 pandemic and supply-chain issues meant they couldn't get key materials, like steel, in time.

Besides modern heating and plumbing, and eventual wheelchair access via a pedway, Gallant said a major change will be to the front or "nose" of the tower.

A large square room with plenty of space for people to set up laptops will be built, which will replace the old stairs where judges would sit with stopwatches looking over the lanes to time people.

"Nowadays it's all computer, it's all cameras … It's just different now," Gallant said.

The changes will make sure Banook stays a high-calibre venue that ensures young paddlers can excel at home, Gallant said.

"There are many areas in Canada that they have to travel to us, or they have to travel to the two or three canoe-kayak places in the country that are international level," Gallant said.

The tower has also become a landmark in Dartmouth, and Gallant said locals shouldn't worry about that changing — the classic silhouette with the slanted roof will stay.

The $2.5-million dollar project was mostly funded by the province ($1.5 million) and Halifax Regional Municipality ($700,000).

Coun. Sam Austin, who represents the area on municipal council, said it's a worthwhile investment to make sure Banook can keep attracting major events.

"There is a certain element of 'you got to keep up with the Joneses,'" Austin said. "What was good in 1980s is getting pretty tired today. So it's essential work to make sure that we're still competitive."

Austin also said the new tower comes amid other investments around the lake, like the terraced seating on Silver's Hill, a new multi-use building at Kiwanis Grahams Grove Park, and provincial support for renovations to the Banook Canoe Club.

"It's good to see. It's good for the city," Austin said.

The tower is on track to open in April, in plenty of time for the lake's next big event, the North American Indigenous Games in July.