The Southland Co-op Centre in Assiniboia, Sask., has been dubbed by some as the crown jewel of Southern Saskatchewan.
And for the town’s Recreation and Community Wellness manager, Steph Vandesype, it’s a fitting moniker.
“There’s thousands of people who walk through these doors every single week so it has done tremendous things for our community: our local businesses are booming, our restaurants, our hotels are full every single weekend, so it’s had such a huge economic impact for Assiniboia,” said Vandesype.
“It’s amazing what a building can do. It’s revived Assiniboia and we’re very proud of this place.”
The centre replaced the old town ice arena that was originally built in 1956, and has been a boon for the local senior hockey team.
The Assiniboia Senior Rebels manager, Derek Lessmeister, said there has been so much interest since the centre opened that he has actually had to turn players away.
“When you get a facility like this, it makes it a lot easier to keep wanting to play. You come down and it’s a nice rink, it might be cold outside but once you get here it’s nice and warm on the inside and you have to drag some of us old guys out in walkers at some point,” said Lessmeister.
Lessmeister, who is also on the board of directors for the centre, mentioned that the vast array of activities that the building offers comes in especially handy when they are hosting a hockey tournament on their NHL-sized rink.
“There’s five tournaments in five weekends in a row, and the amenities and the things that those kids can do from the climbing wall to the golf simulator to the teen centre. They can kill their time in between their games and you know it’s not as much of a long weekend,” said Lessmeister.
The facility has become a community staple for the town of Assiniboia.
“This is the hub of our community now, we actually call it our mall. This is where everybody comes and hangs out on a Friday night or Saturday night you see the place is packed. People are having a drink, they’re walking around, they’re watching hockey, the walking track is busy all day every day,” said Vandesype.
“So the goal of this rink was to keep people busy. From zero to 100, we have amenities for all ages and keeping people busy, keeping people healthy and taking care of people’s mental wellness,”