Beyond the annual inspection: IFMA Manitoba brings ice plant compliance into focus
Posted by azailer on Oct. 13, 2026 / FM Articles / Subscribe 0
For arena owners and facility managers, passing an annual inspection is an important milestone. It is not always the full picture.
At The Building Conference 2026, IFMA Manitoba will present “Cold Hard Facts: What Your Annual Inspection Won’t Tell You About Your Ice Plant,” a practical education session led by Scott Corden, P.Eng. The session is designed to help owners and operators identify compliance and operational questions before they become expensive problems or unexpected downtime.
Session details
- Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
- Time: 2:15–3:30 p.m.
- Location: Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre, Winnipeg
- Session fee: $60
- Presenting association: IFMA Manitoba
- Speaker: Scott Corden, P.Eng., Principal and Senior Mechanical Engineer, Alliance Engineering Services Inc.
- Conference schedule: buildingconference.ca/3/education-sessions
Why an annual inspection may not tell the whole story
Annual inspections are essential, but facility compliance depends on more than a single checkpoint. Refrigeration technology, code requirements and operational responsibilities continue to evolve. A plant may pass an inspection while still leaving owners with questions about current requirements, equipment strategy or staffing obligations.
Scott’s session will help participants examine the areas that deserve a closer look, including refrigerant choices for ice rink plants; Manitoba power engineer requirements; Guarded Status requirements; and recent changes to CSA B52 for ammonia and synthetic refrigeration systems.
The goal is not simply to prepare for the next inspection. It is to give facility decision-makers a clearer view of risk, compliance and long-term operability.
Who should attend
This session will be especially relevant to arena and recreation facility managers; municipal facility and public works teams; ice plant owners and operators; engineering, maintenance and capital planning professionals; risk, safety and compliance leaders; and organizations planning refrigeration upgrades or replacements.
Participants do not need to be refrigeration engineers to benefit. The session is intended to help owners and managers ask better questions, recognize where further review may be needed and coordinate more effectively with operators, engineers and authorities.
Meet the speaker
Scott Corden is a professional engineer, Principal and Senior Mechanical Engineer at Alliance Engineering Services Inc., and a Director at Large with IFMA Manitoba. He has more than 15 years of experience with mechanical systems in institutional, municipal, commercial and industrial facilities. His work connects design decisions with the realities of operating and maintaining facilities over the long term.
What facility leaders can do now
Even before the conference, owners and managers can strengthen their ice plant planning by reviewing a few practical questions:
- Do we know which current codes, regulations and technical bulletins apply to our plant?
- Are operating and staffing arrangements aligned with Manitoba requirements?
- Have recent changes to CSA B52 been considered in our maintenance and capital plans?
- Do our refrigerant and equipment decisions support long-term serviceability and risk management?
- Are responsibilities clear among the owner, operator, consultant and authority having jurisdiction?
These questions are not a substitute for a technical or regulatory review. They are a starting point for identifying gaps early and planning the right follow-up.
IFMA Manitoba at The Building Conference
IFMA Manitoba supports education and professional connection for people who plan, operate and improve facilities across the province. Presenting this session at The Building Conference brings a facility-management perspective to a technical issue with direct implications for public safety, continuity of operations and capital planning.
Join Scott Corden and IFMA Manitoba in Winnipeg on October 20 to learn what may sit beyond the annual inspection—and how a more proactive review can support safer, more reliable ice plant operations.
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