WFCU Place officially unveiled
By Brad Aubin
The community, its organizations, sports groups, and dignitaries all gathered at WFCU Place earlier today, cutting the ribbon and officially opening the $63-million recreation centre.
The facility, which local officials were proud to share was delivered both on time and on budget, boasts two regulation-sized rinks, an indoor walking track, community meeting space, over a dozen dressing rooms and more.
Mayor Peter Chirico thanked various people for their efforts in making the building a reality, including the federal government for its support and over $35 million in federal funding.
“It’s a game changer for the City of North Bay, our communities, and our residents,” says Chirico. “For my kids, my grand kids, I couldn’t say thank you enough to our community for making this happen.”
The City of North Bay says funding contributions came from:
- The federal government invested over $25.7 million through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program and over $9.4 million through the Community Stream of the Build Communities Strong Fund.
- The Government of Ontario invested $2 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation
- $1.5 million in municipal contributions from OLG generated through Cascades Casino North Bay
- $1.5 million in Municipal Accommodation Tax revenues.
- The municipal taxpayer-funded share of the project is approximately $23 million, after excluding federal and provincial contributions, OLG game revenues, and Municipal Accommodation Tax revenues.
For more information and history behind WFCU Place, click here.
Brad Aubinhttp://www.mynorthbaynow.comBrad is Vista Radio's Senior News Director for Ontario. He was born in Sudbury, raised in Kapuskasing and has lived in the North Bay area for nearly 20 years. A Canadore College grad, he has worked for many newspapers across the north, and joined the broadcasting side of the business in 2020. The proud husband and father of two loves sharing important local and area news to listeners. If you have a news tip you'd like to share, e-mail baubin@vistaradio.ca
