Paulatuk man builds ice rink in his yard to keep kids safe

Richard Ruben Sr. was worried about the kids in Paulatuk, N.W.T., because they had to go to the pond to skate.

The pond is less than five minutes outside of the community by foot, but it's also a place where wildlife congregates. 

"I find it kind of unsafe because of all those foxes around. Especially the start of fall time and the bears are still out," said Ruben, who has five kids, the youngest being three years old. 

So instead of fretting, Ruben decided to take matters into his own hands — he built a rink in his yard.

"I tell them it don't matter how old you are, bring your stick or your skates," said Ruben. "At least here you're being safe."

The rink, which is about 16 feet long and 12 feet wide, took about two weeks to build. It didn't come with much of a cost; Ruben used old garage doors that were being thrown away to build the boards. This is the second time he has built an ice rink for the kids. 

He enlisted the help of a local water delivery contractor to dump any leftover water into the rink at the end of the day. Now he just uses a garden hose to mend any cracks and smooth it out.

"It's basically whatever I could find on hand."

No bullying allowed

He even made a Philadelphia Flyers logo in the middle using cut up garbage bags and bingo dabbers.

Ruben also added some elements from the Paulatuk Wolverine's logo, because some of his relatives who helped establish the team have since died. He thought this would be a good way to pay tribute to them.

"We've even had relatives from outside of the community coaching and helping our Paulatuk Wolverines, you know, help get established."

The ice rink has caught on with kids in the community. Ruben said there are kids there almost every day. But Ruben does have one rule. "There's no such thing as bullying around the rink. I tell them to leave that."

"Just to see a smile on their faces is priceless."