The Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation has started construction on a new arena in Neyaashiinigmiing.
The new Nawash Community Arena will feature and ice pad, seating for 250 people, dressing rooms, concession areas, reception rooms and accessible washroom, according to a release from Bruce Power, which is providing support to the First Nation for the project.
Nawash councillor and outgoing Chief Greg Nadjiwon says the hope is to have the new arena built by the end of this year, and ready to use as soon as January 2026.
“It’s really going to benefit us on many fronts. We have children that lose out on ice time because of the expense of having to travel to Wiarton, Lion’s Head of Owen Sound to skate, to join teams,” Nadjiwon says in an interview. “We hope to be able to develop our own hockey system. We have a lot of athletes. So we’ll have no shortage of participants.”
Nadjiwon says the new facility won’t be used for just hockey, but also other sports such as lacrosse and soccer. It will be put to use for other forms of community programming as well, like flea markets, bingo and dances.
“We’re depending on a lot of community members to volunteer their time and promote different activities,” Nadjiwon says. “That’s the vision.”
The arena design is a sprung structure using arches and canvass, which was selected by the project team after visiting Piikani Nation in Alberta, where a similar facility is in use.
Bruce Power says it’s supporting the arena project through a funding agreement with Nawash, which includes more than $1-million in financial contributions, as well as “in-kind services and technical expertise.”
“Additional funding will come from Bruce Power’s Gamzook’aamin aakoziwin partnership with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), an historic collaboration to market medical isotopes produced at the Bruce Power Site in SON Territory,” Bruce Power says in a release.
Canadian company Kinectrics, a nuclear industry engineering firm and Bruce Power partner, is also contributing $500,000.
“We’re appreciative of those that agreed to work with us to develop this vision and reach our goal of finally having a nice rink,” Nadjiwon says. “I’ve heard from a lot of community members, they’re over the moon with this development.”