Calgary Parents Rally After Hockey Rink Carbon Monoxide Incident A group of Calgary parents who witnessed their children suffer from carbon monoxide exposure at a local hockey rink are campaigning for mandatory CO monitors and stricter safety regulations in Canadian arenas. A group of Calgary parents who had recently experienced their children falling ill at a local hockey rink are now lobbying for stricter safety measures in Canadian arenas. The catalyst for their campaign was a weekend tournament held in December 2024, during which more than twenty young players and a few adults displayed symptoms reminiscent of carbon monoxide poisoning-headaches, nausea and a sudden improvement when they stepped outside for fresh air. Dan Moir, an off‑duty firefighter, recalled that one of his sons began feeling unwell immediately after taking a break from the ice; a short while later, several other players exhibited the same symptoms.The children's conditions dissipated once they left the rink, prompting Moir to suspect the culprit was the scentless gas rather than an influenza outbreak. After the incident, Moir called the local fire department, which tested the arena's ventilation system and found carbon monoxide levels that ranged from ninety to one hundred and fifty parts per million-a figure far above the threshold of twenty-five parts that should trigger an evacuation.The elevated readings were highest in the dressing rooms that the team had been using, where a bird's nest had apparently blocked the heat exhaust, forcing the toxic fumes back into the space where the children were congregating. The arena was not equipped with a carbon‑monoxide detector, a fact that shocked the parents, who have since learned that Canadian regulations do not mandate such monitoring in ice rinks.Eager to prevent a recurrence, Moir and two co‑authors, pediatric nurse practitioner Laurie Lee and mother Jessica Marshall, have co‑authored an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). The paper documents the 2024 incident in detail and surveys eleven other carbon‑monoxide and one nitrogen‑dioxide poisoning events that occurred in indoor rinks across Canada between 2016 and 2026.The authors argue that while federal guidelines exist for arena air quality, they are not legally enforceable; moreover, many venues fail to follow the best practices that would keep exposure levels safe. They recommend that venues install continuous CO monitors, establish automatic CO‑detector‑triggered shutdowns once readings exceed twenty‑five parts per million, and conduct regular inspections of heating and ventilation systems.In the aftermath of the December tournament, the parents have also been distributing personal handheld CO monitors to their children and advocating for mandatory detection and reporting procedures. The CMAJ article does not name the arena where the incident took place, but the parents say it was a rural Edmonton‑area rink in the Village of Rockyford, about ninety kilometres northeast of the city.By stepping in publicly and bringing attention to the issue, the parents hope to spur change across the country."Our sport is an integral part of Canadian culture, yet athletes and their families should never have to worry about an invisible threat hiding in the air we breathe," said Laurie Lee. "We need to replace that risk with simple, reliable safety devices," added Jessica Marshall. The parents' efforts underscore the broader need for consistent regulation of indoor air quality in sports venues, a topic that has gained new urgency following a spate of CO‑related incidents over the past decade.They are urging regulatory bodies and arena owners alike to act before more children and adults fall victim to similar conditions, advocating for a national standard that ensures constant monitoring and prompt evacuation in the event of hazardous gas elevations