Photo: MP Buckley Belanger announced today the approved funding to build a new arena in the community of Beauval, Saskatchewan
More than a decade after losing their community rink to a fire, residents of Beauval are a step closer to seeing a new facility rise from the ashes, backed by a unique federal funding commitment.
The Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development, announced in Beauval on Friday that federal Budget 2026 has officially designated the NorthWest Regional Recreation, Event and Emergency Protection Complex as a priority project.
The funding is part of a broader federal commitment, including a $1.5-billion pool for recreation upgrades with $750 million specifically earmarked for rinks.
Beauval lost the last community ice rink to fire in 2011.
The community is now proposing an innovative dual-purpose model to replace the rink.
Merging recreation with wildfire readiness
In an interview following the funding announcement, Belanger emphasized how local leadership plan to combine two critical infrastructure needs into a single proposal.
“What Beauval did was marry the two projects: the replacement ice arena and of course this… emergency protection complex,” Belanger told MBC News. “And it’s a very unique approach. So when we went in there today, they applied for both funds to be able to do this, so we announced that we have identified this as a priority project in 2026.”
Northern communities have faced mounting challenges during severe wildfire seasons, often lacking sufficient regional infrastructure to coordinate evacuations and emergency response services. By integrating an emergency protection hub directly into the recreation facility, the complex will provide vital safety infrastructure alongside year-round athletic and youth programming.
Next steps and community resilience
While formal funding amounts and final cost-sharing agreements are still subject to ongoing negotiations between the town, provincial partners, and the federal government, Belanger stressed that Ottawa is fully committed to seeing the project cross the finish line.
For a community that has weathered fires and other hardships, Belanger noted that the project represents far more than just a building.
“It reaffirms to them that their tenacity and their resilience as a community in the end has paid off,” Belanger said. “Even though this could be considered just another rink, it really means a lot to the community because… it qualifies their ambitions to build a stronger generation for the younger people.”