'It puts us on the map': Assiniboia draws in visitors to new $18M hockey arena
The Town of Assiniboia is living up to its nickname as the ‘Heart of the Golden South’ with its new rink attracting visitors from across southern Saskatchewan.
“It puts us on the map,” Mayor Sharon Schauenberg said. “We may be small town Saskatchewan, but we have a ton to offer.”
The Southland Coop Centre opened its doors in September of 2022 after a decade of fundraising and nearly two years of construction.
The state-of-the-art facility serves as a community hub for the town and surrounding area.
The new arena has a walking track that overlooks the ice surface. (Gareth Dillistone/CTV News)
It is equipped with a concession, walking track, teen centre, multipurpose room, a rock climbing wall, pickle ball courts and a simulation room where visitors can play up to 35 different sports.
Zombie dodge-ball is one of the virtual games that visitors can play in the facility's simulator room. (Gareth Dillistone/CTV News)
“It’s a dream come true to have a facility that we can program all ages,” Steph Vandesype, Assiniboia’s recreation and community wellness manager told CTV News.
“We’ve got little kids in here for moms and tots time in the morning. We have seniors walking the track all day, and we have the youth and adults enjoying all the great spaces that we’ve provided.”
The hockey rink also doubles as a concert venue that can fit 1,500 people. The Assiniboia Civic Improvement Association (ACIA) consulted production companies before the facility was built.
“We’re really focusing on trying to make this venue one of the concert hot spots in Saskatchewan in the summer months,” said ACIA president Curtis Nelson.
The facility hosted country music star Jess Moskaluke for the town’s first sold-out concert for the arena’s grand opening in September.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts sent to your device
The centre comes with a price tag of $18 million. The federal and provincial governments pitched in $11.5 million and the rest was fundraised locally.
Members of the ACIA travelled to different hockey rinks to research designs, ultimately settling on one.
“It kind of morphed over the years. We’ve had lots of different iterations and additions to the plans,” Nelson said.
“Twelve years is a lot of patience to get the facility up and going,”
The town is in the running to be named the next Kraft Hockeyville. The title would come with a chance to host an NHL game at the new rink and a cash prize that would help cover the costs of equipment for kids looking to join minor hockey.
“We believe we have a facility here that is worthy of an NHL hockey game and we’ve got great community spirit,” Nelson said.
The Assiniboia Southern Rebels change room. (Gareth Dillistone/CTV News)
For the time being, the town is busy hosting other hockey tournaments. Vandesype said she is planning tournaments for both of her sons and her husband.
“Our phones are ringing off the hook. Our tournaments are overflowing with huge wait lists because everyone wants to be here,” she said.
In the few short months that the rink has been open, the mayor said it is already generating economic spinoff. Hotels, restaurants and businesses are busy on weekends when visitors come to play hockey, she said.
“It’s bringing a lot of people that maybe wouldn’t normally come to small town Saskatchewan into small town Saskatchewan and enjoying all of our amenities,” Schauenberg said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.