Impressive Upgrades to St. Malo’s Arena Thanks to Major Investments

The RM of De Salaberry announced last week that it has secured federal government funding of $3.7 million for the renovation of the St. Malo arena. This amount is in addition to a $700,000 grant from the Manitoba government, bringing the total project budget to $4.4 million.

This funding will enable the expansion of the arena’s facilities, increasing its total area by approximately 10,000 square feet. The additional multi-use spaces will accommodate new recreational programming for the community throughout the year. Upgrades to the mechanical and electrical systems serving the existing facility will result in a reduction of the arena’s energy consumption by approximately 76.7% and greenhouse gas emissions by 120 tonnes per year.

Since its opening in 1974, the St. Malo arena has played a vital role in the community, bringing people together for activities such as hockey, curling, and public skating. Once upgraded, the facility will offer a wide range of recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities, including summer camps, fitness classes, and farmers’ markets.

St. Malo community residents and representatives at the federal funding announcement on June 6.

According to the Honorable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for PrairiesCan and CanNor, “Arenas are at the heart of small towns across Canada and play a big role in bringing residents together. The federal government will continue to work with our provincial and municipal partners to invest in crucial community infrastructure like the St. Malo arena for everyone to enjoy.”

Darrel Curé, Reeve of the Rural Municipality of De Salaberry,  emphasizes that “It is important for the community and the RM to be able to continue offering sports and recreation to residents and surrounding communities for many years to come. We see the importance in having accessible, quality programming, art, culture, and amateur sports available in the Recreation Facility and to reduce the energy footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. We will have a multi-use facility that will serve the community and surrounding area for generations to come.”

Finally, Ivan Normandeau, president of AMBM, declared that: “This support from the federal government is directly in line with the Economic Recovery Strategy for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities (2021-2024), which calls for investments of $222.4 million in priority sustainable development infrastructure projects in our communities.

This funding also echoes the 2022-2025 Strategy to Support Economic Immigration to Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities in its contribution to building more welcoming communities, as well as the new Municipal Maturity Model (3M) surrounding the delivery of municipal services in both official languages.”

The AMBM Group, including CDEM, recognizes the importance of providing quality infrastructure that meets the needs of residents and supports this key project which contributes to building stronger and more prosperous communities.