The Town of Red Lake continues to push for funding for a new arena and event center.
Mayor Fred Mota says unfortunately they have been turned down for infrastructure funding for that project.
“The problem we face from the province is that there is no programs currently available to support our asset management plans for projects such as this,” Mota told the Ontario Finance Committee during pre-budget hearings earlier this week in Kenora.
Mota says the Cochenour Arena is over 60 years old and needs to be replaced.
“Red Lake is willing to make the contribution, but we need provincial support in order to move projects, such as this, to an area where we’re ready to dig.”
Mota says while Red Lake only has a population of five thousand people, that number could double once a bridge to northern first nations is completed, so there will be no shortage of demand for the arena.