BELGRAVE, ON - The Kinsmen Club of Belgrave held an official ceremony today to celebrate the completion of improvements to the Belgrave Arena. 

Ben Lobb, MP for Huron-Bruce; Carol Mitchell, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and MPP for Huron-Bruce; Dorothy Kelly, Mayor of the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry, and Chris Michie, Chair of the Kinsmen Club of Belgrave, are pleased to see this important community recreational infrastructure project reach completion. 

Improvements to the arena included replacement of the floor and resurfacing of the rink area for a safer, smoother ice surface. New boards have been installed as well as a new roll-up door to create better access to the arena.

The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed up to $64,500, while the Kinsmen Club of Belgrave contributed the balance of the total project cost of $215,000.

Today’s event also recognized the reconstruction of 1.5 kilometres of roads in Morris-Turnberry and renovations to the Bluevale Community Hall. For additional details on all three infrastructure projects, please refer to the backgrounder.

“Investing in recreation facilities like the Belgrave Arena confirms our government’s commitment to creating jobs and improving Ontario communities,” said MP Lobb.  “Thanks to Canada’s Economic Action Plan, these three local infrastructure projects in Morris-Turnberry will not only stimulate local economic activity today, but also benefit residents for many years to come.”

“Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction to renewing infrastructure here in Belgrave while supporting our government’s Open Ontario plan to stimulate the economy and create new opportunities for jobs and growth,” said MPP Mitchell.  “This arena is a place where people of all ages can become engaged in their community.”

“The Belgrave Arena is a focal point of our community,” said Chairperson Michie.  “The Kinsmen Club felt that these necessary upgrades were right in line with our Kinsmen Motto, ‘Serving the Community’s Greatest Need!’”  

“The improvements to the Belgrave Community Centre has been supported by many donors and volunteer workers; Morris-Turnberry is pleased to share a part of this effort,” said Mayor Kelly.  “The Belgrave Community Centre is the recreation and social gathering spot of the community and one that we would not want to be without.”

This Belgrave Arena project is one of more than 760 across the province that is moving forward thanks to a joint federal-provincial investment of more than $380 million under the Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RInC) Program in Ontario and the Ontario Recreation Program (Ontario REC). The governments of Canada and Ontario teamed up to support Ontario's communities and create jobs by improving recreational infrastructure, as these types of projects also encourage higher levels of participation in physical activity and community building. For more information on this initiative, please visit www.rinc-on.ca