CANORA - After planning for the project began nearly three years ago, the big day finally arrived and the grand opening of the Canora Aquatic Park took place on July 19.
Aaron Herriges, director of leisure services, opened by expressing his gratitude that the rain stayed away long enough for the celebration to take place at the edge of the new swimming pool.
“I am so happy to be here and to get a chance to speak and acknowledge everyone involved in getting us to where we are today, said Herriges.
“With us here today, is our Mayor Mike Kwas, Councillors Denise Leslie, Brad Gabora, Eric Sweeney, Jaqueline Fetchuk, Dave Wasyliw and Kerry Trask. I see we have some of our project partners in attendance as well, which we’re very happy to see.
“I would like to thank all of you for taking time and joining our community as we celebrate this special day in our history; the Grand Opening of the Canora Aquatic Park, I hope you are all as excited as we are to officially add this great recreational space to Canora’s profile.
"This project and celebration takes place on Treaty 4 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. As we gather here, we pay our respect to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with another.”
Herriges reminded all those in attendance that swimming in summer has been a fixture in Canora since 1972. “This project solidifies that service for many years to come,” and added that the pool has been very busy since swimming started. “The response since our soft launch on June 7 has surpassed expectations, as we are already seeing record numbers through the door as well as an increase in the variety of age groups, an increase in our program registrations, and our customer base has widened to new areas, within and outside the province. We can now be proud to say we have a facility that can accommodate our community and the many travelers, whether they are passing through, visiting family or on vacation at the many surrounding parks and lakes. Just one day last week we saw close to 200 through the door and that was just an ordinary Thursday afternoon.”
Herriges said that many hardworking people played an important role in seeing this project through to its completion.
“Any project of this size doesn’t start without great decision making and direction, so I would like to start by thanking our mayor and town council for taking the necessary time to assess the information and identify the need to green light this project,” he said. “During the planning phase it was wonderful to see the unanimous support around the table to provide the necessary resources to get us to the completion of this park. Canora is a wonderful place to live and this new space contributes greatly to that sentiment. We all appreciate your leadership and commitment to Canora’s future. On the behalf of our community, thank you for leading the way.
“I would like to acknowledge my fellow co-workers at the town office for the help and support they have provided along the way. A special thanks to our CAO Michael (Mykytyshyn) who does a great job of presenting the financial framework to town council. This is the initial step that is often overlooked but is very important. Your experience and dedication has not gone unnoticed. Thank you.
“Thank you to our Leisure Services Committee. During the planning phase, our membership of Tracey Bletsky, Aimee Ruf, Arlette Bogucky, Kristin Kelbaugh-Harder, and Denise have provided great insight and different points of view of how this could all look and operate. As an advisory committee, their ideas are embedded in the layout of this building and park. Our community thanks you for your enthusiasm, recommendations, and insight!"
Herriges went on to thank all the construction crews and contractors involved in the project who had to deal a variety of challenges including the start schedule and the season change:
- Wyonzek Brothers Construction (site excavation)
- Western Recreation Developments (Pool design and construction)
- SveinCo Developments and sub trades (service building construction)
- McTavish Concrete (concrete pool decks and sidewalks)
- Rice Construction (waterslide access tower and shade pergolas)
- Prairie Projects (pool deck storage building)
- Ludba Construction (parking lot)
- Sunrise landscaping (recreational grass area)
- Fenced Up Fencing (perimeter fence)
Mayor Mike Kwas then took over at the mike to highlight the funding partners and sponsors.
“This project was the recipient of significant financial support from the community and at the government level,” said Mayor Kwas. “It’s truly amazing to think we were able to raise just under $1 million; financial help that was much needed and appreciated.”
The major funding partners included:
- Prairie Ecomonic Development Canada. Canora was the recipient of their Community Revitalization Fund to the sum of $743,617.
- Richardson Pioneer for their donation of $100,000.
- The Yorkton Kinsmen Club for their donation of $50,000.
- The RM of Good Lake for their donation of $10,000.
Mayor Kwas went on to express gratitude to numerous other significant local sponsors including businesses, families and individuals, as well as donors to the Drop & Go Recycle program at Sarcan, which raised nearly $1,000.
Herriges came back to the mic to acknowledge the Canora Public Works staff for completing a variety of important task throughout the construction phase, and he also recognized the importance of the lifeguards and pool managers at the new facility.
“Mackenzie Gulka and Breanne Woloshyn were very helpful and important with our transition from the old pool to this facility,” he said. “These staff members have a lot of knowledge of the day-to-day activities and set up our operations here for future success. Thank you to rest of our staff ongoing training to keep our citizens safe and for adjusting to the changes of a new facility. We are lucky to have you all and we hope you continue to enjoy your employment at our new park.”
Herriges expressed gratitude to the citizens of Canora.
“Your enthusiasm and support for this project did not go unnoticed. I think this plays a huge part in the decision to move ahead with this project. We hope you enjoy it for years to come.”
Herriges was followed by remarks from several important contributors to the project.
Jeff Bisschop, CEO of Crossroads Credit Union, congratulated all those involved in this important community project.
“$1 million raised, wow, what an accomplishment!” marveled Bisschop.
“On behalf of Crossroads Credit Union, I am proud to stand here today and offer our congratulations to the Town of Canora on this exciting, new Aquatic Park, an incredible new facility that will be enjoyed by many people in Crossroads Country, for many years to come. A project such as this, takes time, effort, hard work, dedication, and a commitment to the community, all those elements lined up here as we can see the results, this beautiful facility.
“It was back in 2021, when we first heard about the goal of this project,” recalled Bisschop. “Canora Leisure Services applied to the Crossroads Community Investment Fund for funding towards the New Aquatic Park Project. The result was an allocation of $5,000 towards the project. We always look forward to seeing the impact the CIF Fund has towards community projects and initiatives, helping our communities to flourish, so when we were invited to join in the celebration today, we jumped at the opportunity.”
Ron Hanishewsky spoke on behalf of the Yorkton Kinsmen Club, which, as mentioned, made a contribution of $50,000.
“Congratulations on the opening of the Canora Aquatic Park,” said Hanishewsky. “Canora has long been a strong supporter of Kinsmen Bingo, and we wanted to give something back to the community.”
Marty Sveinbjornson shared his thoughts on behalf of SveinCo Developments, the contractor for the pool building. “On behalf of myself, my wife Amy and the entire staff of SveinCo Developments, I would like to extend my congratulations to the Town of Canora on the grand opening of this fantastic facility,” said Sveinbjornson. “We were honored to work with the Town of Canora as the contractor for the pool building and couldn't have been happier to team up with Aaron and the town representatives to help bring this building from a concept to completion. Aaron is a consummate professional and made this build go smoothly. I extend best wishes to all involved including the citizens of Canora and surrounding area for the long-term success of the facility. I know my family will frequent this pool for years to come.”
Canora-Pelly MLA Terry Dennis opened with a thought that was no doubt shared by all those in attendance,
“It’s a great day in Canora.”
Dennis went on to add, “Having a facility like this is good for Canora and for the province of Saskatchewan. To be successful, we need to have three things: health care, education and recreation. To reach $1 million raised for this facility is a wonderful accomplishment, especially coming out of challenges such as COVID-19.”
The speeches were followed by the official ribbon cutting by Mayor Kwas, a barbecue sponsored by Gateway Co-op, and what pretty much everyone was looking forward to the most, free swimming.
