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South Okanagan towns, Osoyoos Indian Band seek funds for new eco-friendly hockey arena

A joint application for funding for the arena has been sent to Infrastructure Canada

The Osoyoos Indian Band and the towns of Oliver and Osoyoos are partnering together to seek environmentally friendly funding for a new hockey arena for the region.

Infrastructure Canada’s Green and Inclusive Community Building Fund (GICB) provides up to 100 per cent of the funding for publicly accessible facilities, including recreational facilities.

The existing arenas in the area have aged and require substantial repairs or refits to continue sustainably functioning into the future.

The Osoyoos Indian Band has already been in discussions with Stantec Architecture and Wintersport looking into the feasibility of constructing a National Indigenous Hockey Legacy Initiative arena in the region.

The new multi-pad arena would serve to provide a recreational site for the entire region.

“The Osoyoos Indian Band appreciates any opportunity to collaborate with our neighboring Municipalities for the betterment of the region. Organized sport, exercise and active lifestyle amenities are crucial to our collective goal of maintaining healthy communities,” said Osoyoos Indian Band development corporation chief operating officer Mike Campol in a news release.

The GICB program aims to build more community buildings and improve existing ones by making them more energy efficient with a lower carbon footprint.

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