Investing in Canada funding for the new Town of Assiniboia and District Recreation Complex was recently announced, which is perfect timing as construction for the new facility will begin the first week of April.
The financial contribution to the Recreation Complex is $6,293,010 from the federal government, $5,243,651 from the provincial government and $4,195,865 from the Town of Assiniboia. The town’s project was one of 26 projects costing upper levels of government $33 million announced through a joint federal-provincial agreement.
The infrastructure funding news was released at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) convention.
“We have received phenomenal community support for this project, from local businesses, individuals, and surrounding RMs,” said Curtis Nelson, president of the Assiniboia Civic Improvement Association. The future complex will be located in the empty lot neighboring the Prince of Wales Cultural and Recreation Centre.
“It is a real flexible facility that can be used by any group in the region,” said Nelson. The new Recreation Complex will include a teen centre, full-size rink, walking track, multi-use sport and recreation room, a canteen, dressing rooms and a Lakota First Nation Education and Interpretive Centre.
The Assiniboia Civic Improvement Association has been fundraising for 10 years for the new facility. Millions have been raised through both individual and corporate donations, plus from the Sportsman Supper fundraiser that is held every two years, and the annual Spring Fever Lottery.
The costs for the construction of the new Recreation Complex will have a total price tag in excess of $15 million to replace the present facility built in 1956. Wright Construction has the tender for the project, and the company will be completing construction on a new Recreation-Culture Centre and Legacy Park Elementary School in Weyburn by the end of March before moving on to the new Recreation Centre project in Assiniboia.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions currently in place, a construction kick-off and sod turning for the new Recreation Complex will take place at a later date.
Federal funds come from the Investing in Canada Plan where the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
The infrastructure investments are designed to reduce the impact of the pandemic, ensure health and safety, rebuild businesses, as well as promote job creation, growth and investment. Investments in Saskatchewan's infrastructure during this extraordinary time provide an opportunity to make communities more sustainable and resilient.
