The Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation has broken ground on the new Nawash Community Arena.
The new facility in Neyaashiinigmiing has been planned and funded with the support of Bruce Power and Kinectrics, and will feature an ice pad, seating for 250, six change rooms, concession areas, accessible washrooms, office, and reception rooms.
The arena is scheduled for completion in 2026 and will serve as a community hub for hockey, lacrosse, and other activities and programming.
"Our community has always been very sports-minded, and the hockey team was well known in the area," said Councillor and outgoing Nawash Chief Greg Nadjiwon in a release. "After all these years, everyone wanted an arena here, and we are over the moon that it’s finally being built so their grandchildren will have a place to play. Community is more than just a word — community is the participation of all."
The arena was designed in partnership with Artas Engineering, Makwa-Dewar, and Makwa Development, with construction led by BLT Construction.
Bruce Power has made more than $1 million in direct financial contributions to the project, as well as supporting both the planning and implementation phases of the with in-kind services and technical expertise.
"A new arena was identified as a need by the Nawash Community and Bruce Power and its employees are honoured to work alongside Nawash in bringing this vision to life," said James Scongack, Bruce Power’s COO and Executive Vice-President in a release.
Kinectrics provided an additional $500,000 contribution to the arena.
