Quebec government kicks in funding to build new Nunavik arena

The Quebec government has announced $7 million to go towards construction of a new hockey arena in Nunavik.

The hockey arena in Kangirsuk was destroyed in a fire in 2019, which municipal officials said was due to a faulty heating system.

Two years later, the Ungava community has the money it needs to construct a new facility.

The money comes from both Quebec’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as well as its Indigenous affairs secretariat, the Kativik Regional Government said in a news release on May 7.

The full cost of Kangirsuk’s new arena is estimated at about $15 million.

The remaining $8 million needed to finance the project will be covered by fire insurance, according to the Kativik government.

Kativik chair Jennifer Munick welcomed the funding, noting it will make it possible to reconstruct an important sports and cultural facility for the community of about 600 people.

“This facility is especially important because the Inuit youth of this village have no other place to play field hockey and need to be more involved in sports activities that contribute to their mental and physical well-being during this difficult time in their lives,” she stated in the release.

The money flows from Isurrutiit, a long-term agreement between the Quebec government and the Kativik Regional Government that finances public infrastructure projects in Nunavik.

The program, initially set to expire this year, has been extended to March 2022 with an additional $20 million to support “priority infrastructure and equipment acquisition projects,” according to the news release.