The Ontario government is providing $6.3 million to Curve Lake First Nation for the construction of a new multi-season outdoor arena.
Minister of Sport Neil Lumsden announced the funding at a media conference at Curve Lake First Nation on Monday morning (September 15), as part of a series of recent announcements of funding for projects under the province’s Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF).
Other attendees at the announcement included Curve Lake First Nation chief Laurie Hockaday, deputy chief Jeffrey Jacobs, council members, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, and Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma, who is the parliamentary assistant to Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Greg Rickford.
To be designed for year-round use, the new arena would feature a covered and refrigerated ice surface for activities like hockey and figure skating during winter and would be used for activities including lacrosse and ball hockey in the warmer months, and would include change rooms and accessible washrooms.
As a central community hub, the arena would also be used for community programs and events, after-school activities, skill-building workshops, seasonal markets, cultural gatherings, and youth leagues.
“Our government is proud to support the construction of the new arena in Curve Lake First Nation, which will create more opportunities for children, seniors. and families to stay active and connected within their community,” Lumsden said in a media release. “With new access to year-round programming, this investment will increase participation in sport and recreation, create local jobs, and build stronger community connections.”
No details were provided in the media release about the total cost of the arena or when construction is expected to begin and be completed.
The $200-million CSRIF is an application-based program for municipalities, Indigenous communities, and non-profit organizations that are repairing and rehabilitating existing sport and recreation facilities and spaces or building new or transformative sport and recreation infrastructure.
Recently announced funding for other CSRIF projects include $10 million for the South Bowmanville Recreation Centre in the Municipality of Clarington, $3.2 million for a goalball court at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind’s Lake Joseph Centre in Muskoka and upgrades to the Métis Nation of Ontario’s Children and Youth Camp in Burk’s Falls, $10 million for a new 15-acre Family Recreation Area in Vaughan. $7.7 million for an aquatic centre in Uxbridge, and $11 million for the South End Community Centre and the Lyon Outdoor Pool Rehabilitation Project in Guelph.
